Four teenagers have been charged in connection with a drive-by shooting that tragically took the life of a 5-year-old girl in southwest Albuquerque. The incident occurred last week when the young girl was sleeping inside a trailer home. Authorities have stated that the girl was not the intended target. Rather, their intended target was a teenage boy who had an ongoing feud with one of the charged teens. The dispute between the two had reportedly escalated since middle school.
Two boys, aged 15 and 16, are currently in custody, while two brothers, aged 15 and 17, are still being sought in connection with the murder case. The names of the four teens have not been released to the public because of their status as juveniles. However, District Attorney Sam Bregman has confirmed that he intends to charge the four teenagers as adults to hold them accountable for the severity of their crimes.
According to the police, the incident took place around 6 a.m. on August 13 when two stolen vehicles entered a mobile home park. Gunshots were fired from at least one of the vehicles toward the trailer where Galilea Samaniego was sleeping with her two sisters. Tragically, Samaniego was struck in the head by a bullet and later succumbed to her injuries at a hospital.
Barker revealed that the police were able to link the four suspects to several other incidents involving the same group of juveniles. As a result, the teenagers have been charged with an open count of murder, conspiracy, shooting at an occupied building, shooting at or from a vehicle, and the unlawful taking of a motor vehicle.