A 40-year-old Albuquerque mother faces murder charges after allegedly ordering her 10-year-old son to grab her gun during a chaotic Halloween fight with neighbors over loud music, and the boy then opened fire, killing a 16-year-old girl, police said.
The deadly clash erupted around 4 p.m. on Oct. 31 outside apartments near Central and Wyoming in Albuquerque’s International District, according to the Albuquerque Police Department. Elaina Gomez-Villeda had just returned home with her son from a Halloween event when she confronted neighbors Susana and her daughter, Keinerlein Rangel, who were unpacking and playing music that Gomez-Villeda said was too loud.
What started as a verbal dispute quickly turned physical. Court records and police testimony describe Gomez-Villeda, the neighboring mother, and the 16-year-old girl all involved in a fistfight in a gravel side-yard area lined with trash bins. Both children tried to intervene as the adults grappled.
A newly released security-camera video played in court captures the frantic moments. In the footage, people can be seen shoving and fighting near black trash cans. Gomez-Villeda is heard clearly telling her son to “get the gun,” according to Albuquerque Police Detective Chase Jewell, who testified at a detention hearing. Moments later, the boy emerges from their apartment holding a revolver. The mother then warns the others, “He’s going to shoot you. Look, he’s going to shoot someone,” before throwing the neighboring mother to the ground, isolating the teen, police said.
The 10-year-old fired at least one shot, striking Keinerlein Rangel and killing her on the scene. The boy and his mother then retreat inside their apartment as the victim’s family reacts in horror, banging on the door. Officers arrived to find the teen dead and later heard another gunshot from inside the unit.
Gomez-Villeda was arrested and charged with first-degree 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. Jail records show she is being held. Her mugshot shows a visible black eye. The revolver used in the shooting was stolen, and investigators found five additional firearms inside the apartment, several of them unsecured, police said.
The 10-year-old has not been charged because of his age; detectives are consulting with the district attorney on possible juvenile proceedings. Gomez-Villeda has claimed the neighbors attacked her and that she feared for their lives, telling investigators, “I thought we were gonna die.” Authorities said the fight was chaotic and that she directed her son to retrieve the weapon.
The case has drawn intense local attention in Albuquerque, with the video underscoring how quickly a noise complaint between neighbors escalated into a fatal shooting involving a child. Court proceedings continue as prosecutors move forward with the charges against the mother.
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