Police said eight teens tried to rob a couple before gunfire broke out near Tramway Boulevard.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A 14-year-old boy was killed, a woman was wounded and seven other teens were arrested after an attempted robbery turned into a shooting at a northeast Albuquerque apartment complex, police said.
Albuquerque police said the shooting happened just after midnight Wednesday at an apartment complex in the 500 block of Tramway Boulevard Northeast. Investigators said eight teenagers, ages 12 to 17, tried to rob a husband and wife in a vehicle. Two teens were armed, police said, and the woman was shot several times in the abdomen before her husband returned fire.
The husband shot and killed 14-year-old Alonzo Sanderson, police said. Officials said the husband is not facing charges. Officers arrested seven teens connected to the case, with the last suspect turning himself in late Thursday afternoon. The case quickly moved into detention hearings as prosecutors argued that several of the teens should remain in custody while the cases proceed.
In court, prosecutors said the group pulled into the parking lot, stopped behind the couple’s vehicle and approached with guns drawn. Prosecuting attorney Kristin Guin said one teen was on probation at the time and had cut off an ankle monitor before the shooting. Guin told the judge the group first gave police a false account, saying the shooting was unprovoked, before investigators challenged that story.
The wounded woman told the judge the shooting changed her daily life. “He’s a kid and had no issues or second thoughts on opening my door and shooting me,” she said in court. Her husband said he fired only after the threat began. “His actions caused myself to take a life I didn’t want to take,” he said.
Judges later ruled that four of the seven teens, identified as Levis Salas, Jonathan Gutierrez, Elijah Gutierrez and Janiyah Pino, would remain in custody until trial. Other teens had already been ordered held. Judges cited public safety concerns and the seriousness of the allegations, including armed robbery and gunfire that wounded the woman and killed Sanderson.
Police and prosecutors have not publicly said whether the guns or the vehicle used by the teens were stolen or belonged to family members. Officials also have not released all details about the teens’ prior records. The case remains in juvenile court, where records and names are often limited because of the ages of the suspects.
The case now stands with seven teens in custody and court proceedings continuing. Prosecutors are expected to press for detention while judges review each teen’s role in the attempted robbery and shooting.
Author note: Last updated July 8, 2026.