ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The community came together Monday to say goodbye to Cayla Campos. The 21-year-old was shot and killed at an Albuquerque park after witnessing a robbery.
The church was full of family and friends, all remembering the life of Cayla Campos.
When you ask Carl Campos about what he misses most about his daughter Cayla, it is hard for him not to become emotional.
“Everything about her, just everything,” Carl said.
Police said Cayla was playing Pokemon Go with her boyfriend at Bianchetti Park two Fridays ago, when he said they witnessed a robbery in progress. When Campos started to drive away, someone fired shots at her car, killing her.
Monday, family, friends and other community members gathered at St. Bernadette Catholic Church for a final service for the 21-year-old.
Her parents will then take her remains to Scottsdale, Arizona where they now live.
“There is no words,” Carl said. “A parent should never have to bury their kid. She was the rock of the family that kept us together. She was the glue, and it kills us that she is gone.”
Carl said the pain is all too familiar. He said Cayla’s boyfriend, Sidney Toler, lost his brother last year to gun violence too. Skyler Monday was shot to death in July 2018 at an apartment complex near San Pedro and McLeod, unsolved to this day.
“This city is going to turn into a pool of violence and will not be safe for any of our kids growing up here,” Carl said.
Carl is calling for more resources for local law enforcement, while trying to find the strength to carry on.
“Everything she stood for, everything I taught her to stand for… the love of life, love of family, love of her community,” Carl said. “Everything she embodies keeps me moving forward.”
Carl said his daughter was about to move to Arizona to be with her family before hopefully starting dental school at the beginning of the year. He said her dream since her first day at Eldorado High School was to become an oral surgeon.
Police have not released any updates on the case or identified any suspects.
