A 16-year-old male has been arrested and charged in the murder of top-100 recruit J.B. White in Santa Fe, New Mexico, early Saturday morning, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office announced.
White, a New Mexico commit, was 18.
According to a release by the sheriff's office Saturday night, White and the suspect got into a physical altercation during a party before the suspect allegedly shot and killed White. The suspect then fled the scene.
Local authorities received a 911 call about the shooting around 3:30 a.m. White was initially transported by friends before they met first responders, who then took him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The suspect, who was apprehended hours after the incident, has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a handgun and negligent use of a deadly weapon, according to the release by the sheriff's office.
Juan Rios, spokesman for the sheriff's office, said investigators are still seeking information about the incident.
"It's a very active investigation," Rios said.
White, who is listed at No. 100 on ESPN.com's rankings for the class of 2021, had reportedly planned to graduate early from Santa Fe High School, which he led on back-to-back runs to the state playoffs, and enroll at New Mexico for the 2020-21 season.
The New Mexico basketball program on Saturday said on Twitter that it was "deeply saddened" by White's death, calling him "an amazing young man with a bright future."
We are deeply saddened by the tragic news of the passing of JB White. He was an extremely talented student-athlete and we were looking forward to him joining the Lobo Family. He was an amazing young man with a bright future, our thoughts and hearts go out to his family & friends. pic.twitter.com/EQOd8KpjOL
— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) August 1, 2020
White, a 6-foot-8 forward, had committed last year to staying home and playing for head coach Paul Weir at New Mexico.
On Wednesday, he posted a video of his acrobatic dunk over two people. It was his last tweet.