Teens charged in robbery-turned-homicide of 19-year-old
Published
Modified
Police arrested 14- and 15-year-old boys in the fatal shooting of a young woman during a July 4 robbery in Southeast Albuquerque.
Lorenzo Lovato and Micalas McClendon are each charged with an open count of murder, robbery and tampering with evidence in the death of Alana Gamboa, 19. Police say both Lovato and McClendon attend Albuquerque High School.
Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque police spokesman, said detectives detained both teens on Thursday at an apartment complex in the university area.
He said they have been booked into the Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention Center.
鈥淭he investigation is ongoing,鈥� Gallegos said.
In December, Lovato, 14, was charged along with several other teens in multiple armed robberies around Albuquerque, according to court records. Court records show prosecutors offered Lovato a plea deal in that case, and in March he was sentenced to a year of probation, which included completing the Gun Violence Prevention Program.
After Gamboa鈥檚 death, dozens took to social media mourning the loss and demanding that those responsible be caught. The reward offered by Crime Stoppers in the case reached $5,000 in recent days.
In , Gamboa was described as a recent high school graduate and 鈥渁n amazing young woman who had her entire life ahead of her.鈥�
鈥滺er smile lit up a room... She was always very helpful and dedicated to doing something with her life,鈥� according to the post.
Police responded just after midnight to the shooting near Columbia and Kathryn SE, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. Officers found Gamboa shot to death inside her car with a gun, cannabis and psychedelic mushrooms near her body.
Detectives found bullet casings from Gamboa鈥檚 gun inside her car as well as casings from the shooter near the sidewalk outside, according to the complaint.
Police said they searched Gamboa鈥檚 phone and discovered she was going to sell drugs to someone who went by 鈥渓il benzo 505鈥� on social media. Detectives linked Lovato to the social media account, and an informant told police Lovato set up the robbery and McClendon, 15, was 鈥渢he shooter.鈥�
Detectives searched Lovato鈥檚 phone and found messages between him and McClendon talking about robbing a woman in the days before Gamboa鈥檚 death, according to the complaint. Phone records also showed Lovato was at the scene when the shooting occurred.
Police said when they arrested Lovato and McClendon at Lovato鈥檚 apartment, they questioned McClendon about the shooting. McClendon told police that he, Lovato and another teen planned to rob Gamboa by showing her some money before grabbing the drugs and running away.
McClendon told police Gamboa pulled a gun out first and he pulled a gun from his sweater and fired at her before she could 鈥渟hoot him,鈥� according to the complaint. Police said Gamboa did shoot her gun at some point in the incident but McClendon鈥檚 retelling 鈥渨as not consistent鈥� with the evidence at the scene.
