Police say a dispute over loud music escalated into a fight before the child retrieved a handgun and killed 16-year-old Keinerlein Rangel.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — An Albuquerque mother has been arrested and charged with murder after police said she directed her 10-year-old son to retrieve a handgun during a fight with neighbors, leading to the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Keinerlein Rangel.
Elaina Gomez-Villeda, 40, was charged Sunday after the Oct. 31 shooting at an apartment complex in the 200 block of Tennessee Street NE. Albuquerque police said the confrontation began with a complaint about loud music and grew into a physical fight involving Gomez-Villeda, Rangel and Rangel’s mother. Police allege Gomez-Villeda told her son to go inside the apartment and get a handgun while the fight was underway.
Investigators said the boy returned outside with the gun and fired once, fatally striking Rangel. Police have not identified the 10-year-old because he has not been charged. Detectives are consulting with the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office and state officials to determine whether any criminal charges can or should be pursued against the child because of his age.
According to police accounts of the investigation, the dispute began after Gomez-Villeda complained to the neighboring family about loud music. Rangel’s mother, Susana Rangel, told investigators that she and her daughter were later outside when another confrontation began. Police said the adults fought and Keinerlein Rangel became involved while trying to intervene. Gomez-Villeda’s son also tried to intervene before, police allege, his mother instructed him to retrieve the firearm.
After the shooting, Gomez-Villeda took her son back inside the apartment, police said. She later told detectives that she sent her husband a text saying she believed she was going to jail and then called 911. Gomez-Villeda told investigators that she had been attacked by neighbors after complaining about the music. Her account of parts of the confrontation is among the evidence detectives are reviewing as the case moves forward.
Police said Rangel’s father arrived after the shooting and learned that his daughter had been shot. Investigators said he tried to open Gomez-Villeda’s apartment door and broke a window. Gomez-Villeda told detectives she then fired a gun in an effort to make him leave. Officers arriving shortly after 4 p.m. reported hearing or seeing gunfire from inside the apartment and took cover.
Police said several people eventually came out of the apartment, followed by Gomez-Villeda, who was carrying a handgun. An Albuquerque police officer fired toward her, but she was not hit. No officers were injured. The officer’s use of force is being investigated separately by a Multi-Agency Task Force, while homicide detectives continue investigating Rangel’s death.
Police publicly identified several charges against Gomez-Villeda, including 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. A police account of the case also listed conspiracy to commit murder. The charges are allegations, and Gomez-Villeda has not been convicted.
Investigators said the firearm used in the fatal shooting was recovered outside the apartment and had previously been reported stolen from Santa Fe. Police allege Gomez-Villeda’s conduct created a serious risk to both children by making a firearm available during an active confrontation. The circumstances surrounding how the gun was stored and how quickly the boy was able to obtain it are part of the criminal investigation.
The killing is listed by Albuquerque police as an Oct. 31 homicide at 238 Tennessee St. NE. City homicide statistics released through Nov. 1 classify the case as solved following Gomez-Villeda’s arrest, although the broader investigation remains active. Police had recorded 50 homicide victims in Albuquerque through that date, including Rangel.
Detectives have not announced charges against the 10-year-old. Authorities said they are continuing to work with prosecutors and state officials on the legal questions surrounding his age, while homicide detectives investigate the circumstances of Rangel’s death and the task force examines the officer’s gunfire at the scene.
Author note: Last updated November 2, 2026.