A mother is facing serious charges — including murder — after her 10-year-old son fatally shot a 16-year-old girl during a “chaotic” fight between neighbors over loud music at a New Mexico apartment complex.
According to authorities, Elaina Gomez-Villeda had been fighting with her neighbors when she allegedly told her son to get a gun from their Albuquerque apartment on Saturday, October 31, according to the Albuquerque Police Department.
The boy grabbed the gun and shot a 16-year-old girl, killing her, police said.
A criminal complaint obtained by KOAT-TV identifies the teen as Keinerlein Rangel.
“What we know at this time is that there was a neighbor dispute over loud music. At one point in time, neighbors went next door to advise their neighbor to turn down the music,” Albuquerque Chief of Police Cecily Barker said in a statement to the TV station.
According to the criminal complaint, Gomez-Villeda, 40, asked Keinerlein Rangel and her mother, Susana, to turn down music they had been playing while unpacking items at their home.
After Susana refused to lower the music’s volume, Gomez-Villeda confronted the mother and daughter outside their residence, resulting in a physical altercation involving Gomez-Villeda hitting Susana and Keinerlein, per court records viewed by KOAT-TV.
When Gomez-Villeda’s child tried to intervene during the fight, she allegedly instructed her son to get her gun from their apartment, police said, per KRQE. The boy came back and fired one shot, fatally striking Keinerlein.
Gomez-Villeda and her son went inside their home immediately afterward, according to authorities. Afterward, she told investigators she sent a text to her husband, stating, “I’m probably going to jail right now,” the TV station reported.
She ultimately called 911 and accused a man identified as Keinerlein’s father of trying to pull open her apartment door and breaking her window following the shooting. She told detectives that she shot at him to fend him off, per KRQE.
In addition to murder, Gomez-Villeda is charged with conspiracy to commit a felony child abuse, contributing to the deliquency of a minor, battery and receiving stolen property in connection a firearm, according to Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center records viewed by Us.
Information on whether she retained legal counsel wasn’t immediately available.
Gomez-Villeda;s 10-year-old son wasn’t identified by authorities because he hasn’t been charged, Albuquerque police spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos said in a statement to the Santa Fe New Mexican.
“APD detectives are working with the District Attorney’s Office and state officials to determine potential criminal charges because of his age,” Gallegos noted.
