Elaina Gomez-Villeda faces murder and seven other criminal charges after her 10-year-old son allegedly shot and killed 16-year-old Keinerlein Rangel during a dispute over loud music at an apartment complex in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The shooting occurred around 4 p.m. Saturday in the 200 block of Tennessee Street. According to a criminal complaint, Gomez-Villeda went to neighbors' apartment to request they lower their music. A fistfight erupted between Gomez-Villeda and Keinerlein Rangel and her mother. When the boy tried to intervene, Gomez-Villeda allegedly told him to "retrieve a gun from their apartment," police wrote. The boy obtained the gun, went outside, and fired at least one shot, killing Keinerlein.
When police arrived, they heard a gunshot from inside the apartment. Gomez-Villeda came outside holding a gun. An officer fired at her but missed. She dropped the weapon and was taken into custody.
In a police interview, Gomez-Villeda claimed she fired the shot inside the apartment because Keinerlein's father was trying to force his way inside. She called 911 and later texted her husband, "I'm probably going to jail right now," according to the complaint.
Gomez-Villeda is charged with murder, conspiracy to commit a felony, child abuse, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, negligently making a firearm accessible to a minor, battery, and receiving stolen property. She remains at the Metropolitan Detention Center without bond. Authorities are still deciding whether to file charges against the 10-year-old boy.