An 11-year-old child was killed in a tragic case of mistaken identity after gang members open fired at a family’s truck.
Froylan Villegas was fatally shot in the head when two men targeted the vehicle outside of a baseball game.
The youngster’s cousin, Tatiana Villegas, 23, was left paralysed from the chest down.
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A court heard Jose Romero, 23, and Nathan Garley, 22, had mistaken the family’s Dodge Durango for a rival’s and fired more than a dozen rounds.
On Monday (16 June), they were both sentenced to life in prison.
On 6 September 2023, Froylan left an Albuquerque Isotopes baseball game, in New Mexico, with his cousin Tatiana, his mum and younger brother.
Shots were fired at the truck and Froylan was shot in the head.
He died at the scene while his cousin suffered multiple gunshot wounds which have left her paralysed from the chest down.
His mum and brother were inside the vehicle at the time but were not physically harmed, as reported by Need To Know.
The victim had been riding in the backseat of the white SUV and the bullets were fired through the sunroof, according to PEOPLE.
Romero and Garley were under the impression that they were shooting at a rival gang member they had argued with that same night.
Both men were sentenced to life in prison plus 46 years for the September 2023 shooting that killed Froylan.
They were also convicted of first-degree murder in February, as well as attempted murder, shooting at a motor vehicle and tampering with evidence, as per NBC News.
Bernalillo County District Attorney, Sam Bregman, said in a statement that he hopes the verdict brings “some sort of peace and justice to Froylan’s family”.
The shooting sparked statewide concern over youth gun violence.
Governor of New Mexico, Michelle Lujan Grisham, declared a temporary public health emergency with a ban on firearms in parks and playgrounds across Albuquerque.
Prosecutors said surveillance video, ballistic analysis and eyewitness testimony were crucial in securing the two mens’ convictions.
Under New Mexico law, their verdict automatically triggers an appeal.
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