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Man accused of fatally shooting man during vape deal in Barelas
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Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the fatal shooting of a man in the Barelas Community parking lot earlier this month.
Robert Rodriguez, 18, is charged with an open count of murder, shooting at or from a vehicle resulting in great bodily harm, and two counts of tampering with evidence in the April 2 shooting death of Michael Gallegos, also 18. He was taken into custody Tuesday.
Police were able to identify Rodriguez through Snapchat, according to a criminal complaint filed at Metropolitan Court.
Around 11 p.m., the Albuquerque Police Department received a call of a gunshot in the Barelas Community Center parking lot in the 800 block of Barelas SW, near Seventh.
When officers arrived, they saw a Dodge Charger on a curb that was running and in drive, according to the complaint. Inside, they saw Gallegos in the driver’s seat with a gunshot wound to the head, police said. Police also found a bullet, two cellphones and packaged nicotine vapes at the scene, the complaint states.
Police said they found a Snapchat conversation where Rodriguez asked Gallegos to deliver “nics” — apparently referring to the vapes — to a bus stop by the community center.
Video surveillance from a nearby home showed Gallegos reverse into a parking spot at the community center, according to the court document. A person is then seen outside Gallegos’ driver’s side door.
Footage showed Gallegos tried to drive away before a gunshot rang out, the complaint states. He drives a short distance, then hits a curb.
Through Snapchat, police learned Rodriguez contacted Gallegos minutes before the shooting to meet at the Barelas Community Center parking lot, according to the complaint. Police used an automated license plate reader to trace Rodriguez’s BMW from his home to the parking lot.
