A mother confronted neighbors over loud music, then police say her 10-year-old son returned with a gun and killed a teenage girl

A complaint about loud music at an Albuquerque, New Mexico, apartment complex escalated within minutes on Halloween afternoon, and police say it ended with a teenage girl dead. Elaina Gomez-Villeda, 40, is now jailed and facing a murder charge. Police say her 10-year-old son shot 16-year-old Keinerlein Rangel during the fight, according to Law&Crime.

The shooting happened at about 4 p.m. Saturday at an apartment complex in the 200 block of Tennessee Street. According to a criminal complaint, Gomez-Villeda knocked on her neighbors’ door and asked them to turn down their music. The neighbor told police, through an interpreter, that the music wasn’t loud, and Gomez-Villeda went back to her own apartment before another argument broke out a few minutes later.

That second argument reportedly turned into a fistfight between Gomez-Villeda, Keinerlein, and Keinerlein’s mother, Susana Rangel. Police say the 10-year-old boy tried to step in, and his mother allegedly told him to “retrieve a gun from their apartment.” The boy then came back outside with the handgun and fired at least one shot, killing Keinerlein, according to investigators.

Police say the mother took the boy inside and texted her husband before calling 911

After the shooting, Gomez-Villeda and her son went into their apartment and closed the door, per the complaint. She purportedly texted her husband, “I’m probably going to jail right now,” and then called 911. When officers arrived, they heard a gunshot from inside the apartment, and Gomez-Villeda reportedly walked outside holding a gun. One officer fired at her but missed, and she dropped the weapon before being taken into custody.

In an interview with detectives, Gomez-Villeda claimed she was the one who fired the shot inside the apartment, as Keinerlein’s father was supposedly trying to force his way in. She also told investigators, however, that her neighbors attacked her after she complained about the music. Police found other firearms in the apartment that weren’t secured, and a revolver recovered outside was listed in a national database as stolen.

Gomez-Villeda is charged with murder, conspiracy to commit a felony, child abuse, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, negligently making a firearm accessible to a minor, battery, and receiving stolen property. The 10-year-old, however, has not been charged, and police have not released his name. Investigators said they are working with the district attorney’s office and state officials on his case, as his age complicates any charging decision.

How the boy got the gun sits at the center of the case against his mother. Unlike the 6-year-old who shot his teacher and later told police he took the gun from his mom, this boy didn’t take the handgun on his own, police say. Investigators allege he was sent to get it by his mother in the middle of the fight, after he had tried to break it up.

Prosecutors have asked for Gomez-Villeda to stay in custody until trial. While they acknowledged she has no substantial criminal record, they argued she showed “an extreme disregard for the lives and safety of others.” She remains at the Metropolitan Detention Center without bond, and no attorney was listed for her in court records ahead of her first court appearance. That hearing was set for Monday afternoon.

Investigators have not said how the stolen revolver ended up outside the apartment, a detail that could factor into the receiving stolen property charge as the case moves forward.