ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO — A 16-year-old girl was shot and killed outside her apartment on October 31, 2026, and investigators say the shot came from a neighbor’s 10-year-old son. Keinerlein Rangel and her mother had just moved into the apartment. The boy’s mother, Elaina Gomez-Villeda, 40, allegedly sent him inside to get her handgun during a fight with the Rangels. She was charged the next day with an open count of murder, along with child abuse, battery and conspiracy to commit murder, KRQE reported.
Fight Started Over Loud Music
Court filings show the dispute began when Gomez-Villeda went to the Rangels’ door to complain about loud music, as reported by the Associated Press. Rangel’s mother, Susana Rangel, said the music was not too loud.
A short time later, mother and daughter stepped outside to put up a camera over their front door. Gomez-Villeda allegedly came at them again and hit both of them an unknown number of times, the charging document says, as summarized by the Albuquerque Journal.
Boy Tried to Break Up the Fight
Gomez-Villeda’s 10-year-old son first tried to pull his mother away from the fight. Police say she then told him to bring the gun outside. He fired once, and the bullet struck Rangel in the head, the Journal reported.
Albuquerque Police Chief Cecily Barker said the boy came outside and tried to get his mother out of the physical fight, KOAT reported. From there, the situation spiraled further out of control.
“I’m Probably Going to Jail Right Now”
After the shot, Gomez-Villeda pulled the boy back inside and texted her husband, “I’m probably going to jail right now,” before calling 911. During that call, Rangel’s father, who had learned about the shooting from his wife, pulled at Gomez-Villeda’s door and broke a window.
She told detectives she grabbed a gun and fired toward him to scare him away, saying she “thought we were gonna die.” Officers responding to a 4:02 p.m. call saw shots being fired from the unit. One officer fired at Gomez-Villeda as she came out armed, but the bullet hit a pillar instead.
Prosecutors Want Her Held Until Trial
The gun that killed Rangel was apparently stolen in Santa Fe, the Journal reported. Prosecutors are asking the court to keep Gomez-Villeda jailed until trial. They argue her actions showed “an extreme disregard for the lives and safety of others.”
The case has stunned the community, since it began as a neighbor complaint about noise and ended with a teenager’s death. Rangel and her mother had only just settled into their new home.
Boy Has Not Been Charged
No charges have been filed against the boy, whose name has not been released. Detectives, state officials and the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office are still considering his age and whether criminal charges are possible. New Mexico’s Children’s Code does not allow detention of any child under 12.
Gomez-Villeda’s handling of the gun falls under another state law. It treats careless storage that lets a child get a gun as a misdemeanor. That rises to a fourth-degree felony if the child’s use of the gun causes death or great bodily harm. Gomez-Villeda has not been convicted, and the case will move forward in court.
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