Michael Gallegos, 18, of Rio Rancho, was shot and killed after arranging via Snapchat to meet someone to sell nicotine vapes on the night of April 2, 2025. He drove his Dodge Charger to the Barelas Community Center parking lot in Albuquerque around 10:52 p.m. Surveillance shows a man walking up to the driver’s side, a single gunshot is heard, and the Charger then accelerated and crashed; officers found Michael inside the still-running car with a fatal gunshot wound to the head.

Homicide detectives used phone data, social media messages and license plate readers to identify a silver BMW that arrived at 10:44 p.m. and later traced it to 18-year-old Robert Rodriguez, who arranged the meeting. Rodriguez was arrested April 23, 2025, and charged with an open count of murder, shooting at or from a motor vehicle resulting in great bodily harm, and two counts of tampering with evidence. Three co-defendants — Nathaniel Gutierrez, 19; Jeffery Jojola, 22; and Jordan Sedillo — were later arrested; police say the group spent weeks planning to rob Michael at gunpoint during the sale.

Prosecutions progressed: Sedillo’s murder and robbery charges were reduced to a single count of conspiracy to commit robbery; Gutierrez pleaded guilty and received 17 years; Jojola pleaded guilty and received 15 years. As of July 2026 Robert Rodriguez was awaiting sentencing. Does anyone have information about Michael’s movements that night or about the planned robbery that could help clarify what happened?