Albuquerque, NM — Police in Albuquerque have taken a 31-year-old man into custody following a fatal road-rage incident that occurred Thursday afternoon on San Mateo Boulevard, leaving a 19-year-old driver dead.
The victim, identified as Roman Valenciano, was reportedly heading to pick up his mother from work when the shooting happened.
Investigators say surveillance footage shows a silver Ford Mustang making a U-turn near the intersection of San Mateo Boulevard and Phoenix Road around 1:45 p.m., then pulling into the path of Valenciano’s gray Nissan Sentra. The Mustang allegedly brake-checked the Sentra before stopping in the roadway.
Detectives claim the Mustang’s driver, identified as Cecilio Lopez, pulled up beside Valenciano and fired at least two shots, which aligns with a ShotSpotter alert recorded in the area.
Police later received details about the suspect vehicle and noted it returned to the scene multiple times. A criminal complaint states that Lopez subsequently took the Mustang to a body shop and had it repainted black, apparently to disguise it.
Using license plate reader technology, investigators were able to locate the vehicle and identify Lopez, who was reportedly on probation for a prior felony.
He now faces multiple charges, including an open count of murder, evidence tampering, shooting at or from a motor vehicle resulting in death, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
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