Woman shot in neck at graduation party in New Mexico, man arrested: police

An Albuquerque, New Mexico, man was arrested after he shot his stepmother during a graduation party, according to police.

The suspect was arrested on Thursday, May 9, following the incident at the Albuquerque Convention Center. The woman who was shot in the neck was attending her son’s graduation ceremony at Southwest Secondary Learning Center on May 8, the criminal complaint says.

According to a post from Albuquerque police on X, formerly Twitter, the suspect has been identified as Christian Bencomo.

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Man shot stepmother when she went in to hug him, warrant says

At approximately 4:56 p.m., Albuquerque police were dispatched to the convention center after a report that a woman had been shot in the neck and the suspect was being held by bystanders at the graduation ceremony. When officers arrived, the victim was transported to the hospital in stable condition. The suspect was arrested and refused to speak to authorities, the arrest warrant states.

Eyewitnesses said they heard a loud bang as they waited for the graduates to give roses to their loved ones after walking across the stage. Witnesses were initially unsure what the noise was and then saw the victim holding her neck before falling to the ground. The suspect then raised his leg to kick the victim in the head. However, one of the witnesses told investigators that they intervened and pulled the suspect to the ground and held him until authorities arrived at the scene, the affidavit said.

Investigators spoke with the victim at the hospital before he underwent surgery. She told investigators that after greeting her son, who was graduating, she saw his stepson and opened her arms to hug him. However, the suspect then pulled out a gun and shot the victim in the neck. The victim said the relationship between her and her stepson was fine and that this incident was unexpected, the complaint states.

Man faces multiple charges in connection with shooting

Following his arrest, Bencomo is accused of:

Aggravated physical injury to a household member
Use of firearms
Unlawful carrying of a deadly weapon
Negligent use of a deadly weapon

USA TODAY reached out to Albuquerque police, but they had no further comment on the incident.

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on USA TODAY’s National Trending Team. Ahjané covers breaking news, auto recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Send her an email at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter).

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