GRANTS, NM – Albuquerque Police Department announced the arrest of two suspects in connection with the shooting death of 11-year-old Froylan Villegas. The young boy was killed on September 6 while leaving an Isotopes baseball game with his family in Albuquerque. three men in their 20s were arrested by New Mexico State Police, one of them was arrested just outside of Grants on September 22.
Jose Romero, 22, and Nathen Garley, 21, were arrested on charges related to the fatal shooting, which also seriously injured Villegas's aunt, Tatiana. Police clarified that the incident was not road rage, as initially suspected, but rather a case of mistaken identity. Albuquerque Police Department Chief Harold Medina said, “It is our belief that these cowards mixed up the two vehicles, and shot into the wrong vehicle taking the life of a young man.”
Court records allege that Romero, Garley, and a third man identified as 26year-old Daniel Gomez, had ran into a rival gang member at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, and that the men had come close to fighting but were restrained by people around them. After the game, in a case of mistaken identity, Romero, Garley, and Gomez allegedly targeted the vehicle 11-year-old Villegas was in, thinking it was his rival’s vehicle. Court documents allege that 14 shots were fired from the suspect’s vehicle. When the gunfire had stopped, the suspect vehicle fled on Interstate 25, 11-year-old Villegas was dead, and his aunt had also been shot, she is recovering at an Albuquerque hospital.
New Mexico State Police Chief Troy Weisler was also present during a September 22 press briefing on the arrests, he said Garley and his girlfriend were apprehended near Grants, New Mexico, carrying 22 pounds of fentanyl. He is now facing federal drug trafficking charges, separate from the shooting incident. According to court documents, he had covered his neck with tattoos with makeup.
Romero was arrested on September 22 outside of an Albuquerque Allsup’s, and Gomez was arrested later by APD officers. All three men are charged with an open count of murder, court documents do not allege which man fire the weapon.
The arrest comes amid ongoing tension over gun control in the state. Following the shooting, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) implemented a controversial ban on carrying guns in Bernalillo County, a decision currently blocked by the courts.
The government of Cibola County has openly opposed the governor's gun ban. The county’s opposition comes in part due to a resolution passed on February 28, 2019, when the Cibola County Board of Commissioners voted to declare Cibola County a Second Amendment Sanctuary County. On September 13, Cibola County Sheriff Larry Diaz (D) stated that he would not enforce the governor's gun ban if it were to extend to Cibola. A week later, the Cibola County Board of Commissioners voted 3-0 to issue a proclamation opposing the ban, Commissioner Danny Torrez (D – District II), Ralph Lucero (D – District III), and Robert Windhorst (R – District IV). The other two commissioners were unavailable to attend the event because of scheduling issues, Cibola County Manager Kate Fletcher said.
Charges are nothing more than allegation, in the United States all suspects are considered innocent until proven otherwise in a court by a jury of their peers.
Nathan Garley
Daniel Gomez