Police say Victoria Bencomo was shot and killed during a high school graduation ceremony at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Wednesday. APD said the suspect was her son-in-law.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Police say Victoria Bencomo was shot and killed during a high school graduation ceremony Wednesday at the Albuquerque Convention Center. APD said the suspect was her son-in-law.
The suspect, Cristian Bencomo, 21, was scheduled to appear before a judge on Thursday, but court officials said he failed to cooperate with MDC officials and missed his first court appearance.
Victoria is still in the hospital. Her family says she has undergone multiple surgeries and is on the road to recovery.
“We made it all the way to graduation. We had so much fun getting there,” said Mary Ward, who witnessed the shooting. “They were like, 'Okay, student, go give a rose to someone who has influenced you or is meaningful to you.' I was looking at the student, and she It was coming to my right, and I looked to my left, to the other side, and there was a crowd of people, and I heard a loud bang.”
Police said Christian shot his stepmother, Victoria, and the bullet went through her neck.
“All of a sudden they started yelling, 'Get off, get off!' and it just overwhelmed me because the situation was so scary,” Ward said.
Police said Christian tried to kick Victoria as she fell to the ground, but multiple men tackled her and held her down until officers arrived.
“This incident was an isolated incident between the two individuals and their relationship and was a domestic issue rather than a broader issue,” said APD spokesman Gilbert Gallegos.
Victoria was taken to UNM Hospital for treatment. Her family says she now requires a feeding tube.
Victoria, who is hospitalized, told police that Christian didn't say anything before pulling out the gun and that she didn't think anything was wrong between them.
A GoFundMe has been set up to support Victoria during her recovery.
KOB 4 reached out to the District Attorney's Office regarding this incident. They said they could not comment on pending cases, but said the case would be taken up by a new gun violence unit.