Albuquerque Mother Arrested After 10-Year-Old Son Fatally Shoots Teen

Elaina Gomez-Villeda, 40, is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center on six charges following the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Keinerlein Rangel. The incident occurred in an apartment in Northeast Albuquerque on Saturday, November 1. Police say Gomez-Villeda instructed her 10-year-old son to get a gun during a physical altercation with Rangel and her mother.

The Albuquerque Police Department received a call at 4:02 p.m. Saturday regarding a shooting in the 200 block of Tennessee, north of Central. The caller, identified as Gomez-Villeda, told dispatchers she had been jumped and that one of the girls involved had been shot. A criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court notes that the caller’s son shot the victim and remained in the apartment. Officers found Rangel’s body outside the residence upon arrival.

Rangel’s mother told police they were listening to music when Gomez-Villeda knocked on the door to complain about the volume. Minutes later, while the women were installing a security camera, Gomez-Villeda emerged and punched both of them an unknown number of times. During the fight, Rangel’s mother stated that Gomez-Villeda’s 10-year-old son tried to break it up. She was then told to get a handgun from the apartment. He returned and shot Rangel in the head, according to the complaint.

After the shooting, Gomez-Villeda took her son inside and texted her husband, “I’m probably going to jail right now.” She then called 911. While on the phone, Rangel’s father attempted to open her door and broke a window. Gomez-Villeda grabbed a gun and fired it to scare him, police said. She later told officers, “I thought we were gonna die; these people, they do this a lot, and I didn’t think I was gonna be the target, but it is what it is.”

Gomez-Villeda faces an open count of murder, child abuse, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, negligently making a firearm accessible to a minor, battery, and receiving a stolen firearm. The firearm used to kill Rangel was found outside her apartment and reportedly stolen in Santa Fe. APD spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos stated in a Sunday news release that detectives are working with the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office and state officials to determine potential criminal charges for the boy because of his age.

Police said Gomez-Villeda’s actions posed a serious risk to her son’s health and safety as well as Rangel’s. They cited her instruction to the 10-year-old to retrieve a firearm during an active confrontation, the child’s easy access to the weapon, and his subsequent use of it as elements of dangerous behavior. When officers first arrived, they saw someone shoot a gun from inside. They took cover before three people left the apartment, followed by Gomez-Villeda, who was armed. An officer fired toward her, but the bullets struck a pillar.

Homicide detectives are continuing to investigate Rangel’s death. The Multi-Agency Task Force is examining the actions of the officer who fired a weapon during the initial response. The 10-year-old boy is not being identified at this time.