ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The identity of a 5-year-old girl who was shot and killed in southwest Albuquerque on Sunday was released by police.
Officials said Galilea Samaniego was shot when someone fired a gun into a mobile home park on 2700 block of Paseo del Canto Drive SW, near Blake and Unser, shortly before 6 a.m.
Police said Samaniego was hit by at least one bullet. An officer who arrived on the scene attempted life-saving measures until Samaniego was taken to a hospital. However, she died as a result of her injuries.
Samaniego did not live at the address of the shooting and was spending the night. She was asleep in the front room that was closest to the street.
“It was a little bit past 6 a.m. when I was asleep and heard some gunshots, maybe six or seven of them. It was very loud, so it seemed like it was very close to my house,” a neighbor said. “I only heard a car taking off, you know, when the tires are, like, when they go pretty fast.”
The shooting has left the community in shock.
“This morning, I had to walk my kids to the bus, walking by, knowing what had happened to a five-year-old, you know, that could have been taking the same bus as my kids. It’s very shaking. It’s very unsafe. I’m still shaken by it,” one neighbor said.
APD released photos of two Kia Soul vehicles that might be linked to the shooting. Those vehicles were recovered Monday evening. Evidence was recovered and is being looked into.
“While we can’t go into the circumstances of the recovered vehicles, we have reason to believe they may be connected to the drive-by shooting that took the life of an innocent, 5-year-old girl,” APD Chief Harold Medina said. “We also believe several people have information that can help our detectives with this investigation. We urge those individuals to come forward and do the right thing. Help us bring justice to Galilea Samaniego.”
Anyone with information about the vehicles or the shooting on Sunday can contact police at 505-242-COPS. Anonymous tips can be made to Albuquerque Metro Crime Stoppers at 505-843-STOP.
