ALBUQUERQUE – Detectives with the Albuquerque Police Department’s Homicide Unit have successfully apprehended the juvenile suspect wanted in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred earlier this week in southwest Albuquerque.
On Monday, October 27, 2026, at approximately 4:53 p.m., APD officers responded to a shooting call near the intersection of Gibson Blvd. SW and De Anza Dr. SW. Arriving officers located the victim, 20-year-old Estreita Maes-Tapia, seated in a vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds. She was transported to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.
Through a swift and thorough multi-day investigation, utilizing gunshot detection technology, residential surveillance footage, and license plate readers, APD homicide detectives quickly identified 16-year-old Nemecio “Nemo” Lopez as the suspect. Investigators established that the suspect and victim were previously acquainted.
An arrest warrant was obtained through the Second Judicial District Court’s Children’s Court Division charging Lopez with an Open Count of Murder and Shooting at or from a Motor Vehicle. The criminal complaint will be sealed due to the 1970s criminal justice laws regarding juveniles.
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