Albuquerque, New Mexico: Teen Arrested in Fatal Shooting of Estreita Maes-Tapia, 20, on Gibson Boulevard

A 16-year-old is in custody in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after homicide detectives arrested him in the shooting death of Estreita Maes-Tapia, 20, who was found shot inside a vehicle in the southwest part of the city on Tuesday afternoon, October 27.

Officers with the Albuquerque Police Department responded at about 4:53 p.m. to a shooting call near the intersection of Gibson Boulevard SW and De Anza Drive SW, near Unser Boulevard. Arriving officers found Maes-Tapia seated in a vehicle with gunshot wounds. She was taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where she later died from her injuries.

ABQ RAW, which covered the first response, reported officers and Albuquerque Fire Rescue crews in the area at about 4:45 p.m., with streets blocked off while homicide detectives and crime scene investigators were called to the scene. Police said at the time that the person who fired the shots had fled the scene.

The arrest

Homicide detectives arrested the 16-year-old after a multi-day investigation. APD spokesperson Rebecca Atkins said the investigation used gunshot detection technology, residential surveillance footage and license plate readers, and investigators established that the suspect and the victim were previously acquainted, according to the KKOB report of the arrest.

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant through the Second Judicial District Court Children's Court Division charging the teen with an open count of murder and shooting at or from a motor vehicle. KRQE reported on Thursday night that the 16-year-old was behind bars in the case. The teen is not named in this report because he is 16 years old.

What is still not known

The reports do not describe a motive, and police have not said what led to the shooting on Gibson Boulevard. An open count of murder in New Mexico leaves the degree of the charge to be decided as the case moves through the court process, and a charge is an allegation that has not been proven. Because the case was filed in Children's Court, later hearings will decide how the teen's case is handled.

For drivers and neighbors in southwest Albuquerque, the intersection of Gibson Boulevard and De Anza Drive is a daily route near Unser Boulevard, and the shooting closed streets in the area on Tuesday evening while detectives worked the scene. Anyone with information about the shooting can contact the Albuquerque Police Department.