Dad of homicide victim says Family Advocacy Center helped him through tragedy
May 9—For one Albuquerque man, the Family Advocacy Center served as a beacon of light as he battled through the dark days and months following the shooting death of his son.
"Through all this ugliness, we must smile," Ryan Saavedra Sr. said at a Thursday news conference. "Life must go on."
The Albuquerque Police Department unveiled the newly remodeled lobby of the Family Advocacy Center, which APD spokeswoman Rebecca Atkins said creates a safe haven for victims, victims' families and survivors of crime.
The upgrades include fresh paint and furniture, a bilingual kiosk check-in and a special kid's corner, as the department tried to incorporate everything someone may need when visiting the space, Atkins said.
These changes in the lobby are just "one step in our journey to provide better service," APD Cmdr. Kyle Hartsock said.
In addition to the updates to the lobby, a giant screen was placed in the neighboring Criminal Investigations Division office that displays the names of recent homicide victims and stories from their families.
"It's incredibly important to our investigative teams that sit behind this wall that they see the faces and hear the stories from the families of the victims, especially some of the victims who are no longer with us," Hartsock said.
Atkins said the center received a $70,000 grant from the Crime Victims Reparation Commission to make the upgrades "and make it a more welcoming and safer place for those who visit."
One of the people who attended Friday's unveiling was Saavedra, whose son, Ryan Saavedra Jr., was killed in Albuquerque three years ago.
'You must advocate for your loved one'
On April 21, 2021, Saavedra told the Journal that he received a call that Ryan Jr. was in the hospital after being shot at an Albuquerque park. Ryan Sr. said after he was told by doctors that his son was dead, "I just lost it."
He said he wanted to look for his son's killer because he was "so angry and outraged." But then Hartsock and APD Victim Liaison Manager Terry Huertaz reached out to him during the investigation.
Saavedra said they told him it would be OK and APD would "get those people."
Months later, APD arrested multiple people involved with the homicide, including Domminick Mullen, 23, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the case.
Saavedra said after the sentencing, he was able to move on, and he thanked APD and the advocacy center for everything they did.
"When you lose someone, you don't even want to leave your house, you don't even want to get out of bed, but to take care of loved ones, you must come into this facility," Saavedra said. "You must advocate for your loved one."
One way he showed his gratitude was by donating a butterfly tree that stands near the elevators.
Huertaz said the tree is a tribute to "lives stolen by homicide."
