Tragedy in Albuquerque: Innocent 11-Year-Old Killed in Mistaken Gang Retaliation

On the night of September 6th, 2023, an ordinary family drive turned into an unimaginable nightmare in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A family returning home from a baseball game came under fire in what police would later call a mistaken identity drive-by shooting, leaving one woman critically injured and an 11-year-old boy dead.

This is the tragic story of how a young life was lost to senseless violence—and how investigators pieced together the truth from the chaos.

A Family Night Turned Horror

Tatiana Viagas, 23, was behind the wheel of a white pickup truck driving her family home. In the back seat sat her aunt, Maria Viagas, holding her two children—11-year-old Frean and a 3-month-old baby. Just minutes earlier, the family had enjoyed a peaceful evening at Isotopes Park watching a baseball game.

But peace would quickly turn into terror.

Around 9:00 p.m., a black SUV suddenly opened fire on their vehicle. The bullets shattered the calm of the evening, striking the truck several times. Witnesses reported seeing a man emerging from the sunroof of the SUV, armed with what looked like a semi-automatic rifle.

Within seconds, Frean had been fatally shot in the head, killed instantly. His cousin Tatiana had been struck five times, including in the ribs and possibly the arm. The baby, miraculously, was unharmed—but the emotional scars would run deep.

The Aftermath: Chaos and Confusion

Panicked and bleeding, Tatiana tried to stay conscious as officers arrived. Her aunt Maria, in shock, ran into the street holding the baby in one arm and screaming for help.

“I grabbed my son’s face, and he was full of blood,” Maria later told investigators. “I knew he was gone because his eyes were open.”

At the scene, first responders did everything they could. Police rushed to secure the area and tend to the wounded. Tatiana was immediately transported to the hospital in critical condition, and Frean was pronounced dead on the scene.

What had been a night of family fun had turned into a war zone—one with no warning and seemingly no reason.

A Case of Mistaken Identity

The investigation quickly began, and police were determined to uncover the motive behind the brutal attack.

What they found was as tragic as it was senseless.

According to authorities, the shooters had mistaken the family’s vehicle for that of a rival gang member. Earlier that evening at the same baseball game, 22-year-old Jose Romero, a known gang affiliate, had spotted a person who had stolen his chain weeks earlier. He believed that person was associated with a rival group.

Fueled by revenge, Romero—alongside his accomplices Nathan Garley (21) and Daniel Gomez (26)—tracked what they thought was the rival’s car: a white pickup truck. But in their rush to retaliate, they didn’t bother to confirm the identity of those inside.

Instead, they unleashed 14 bullets on an innocent family, killing an 11-year-old child and critically injuring a young woman.

“We Don’t Do Anything to Anybody”

The heartbreak for the Viagas family was unbearable. “We’re good people,” Maria cried to officers. “We don’t do anything to anybody… They probably thought it was someone else.”

She was right.

Later, Daniel Gomez—one of the shooters—confessed to the crime during interrogation. “I told those fools no more,” he said, appearing to express regret. But the damage had already been done.

Gomez confirmed they had opened fire after spotting what they believed to be a rival gang’s truck, admitting he “just started shooting” without even knowing who was inside.

A Devastated Community

As news of the shooting spread, the Albuquerque community was left reeling. The randomness of the attack—a family caught in the crossfire of gang violence they had no part in—shocked and enraged residents.

Frean Viagas was remembered by neighbors and classmates as a bright, kind-hearted child. His life, full of promise, was stolen in an act of senseless violence that should have never happened.

Meanwhile, Tatiana, once an energetic and independent young woman, was left paralyzed from the waist down as a result of her injuries. Her entire life had been changed in a matter of moments.

The Investigation Breakthrough

Initially, police had little to go on—just a vague description of a black SUV. But tips from eyewitnesses led them to identify the vehicle as a black Dodge Durango. Multiple people saw the Durango fleeing the scene with its windows heavily tinted, making it difficult to identify anyone inside.

Over the following days, detectives gathered witness statements, reviewed surveillance footage from near the stadium, and re-interviewed the victims. A key breakthrough came from Tatiana, who had survived the shooting and was able to recount details from the attack.

From her hospital bed, she described hearing loud booms, seeing a rifle appear from a sunroof, and then everything going numb. Her firsthand account gave police a clearer picture of the suspect vehicle and confirmed that the shots came from the Durango.

Using this information and forensic evidence like shell casings and cell tower data, authorities were able to track down and arrest Romero, Garley, and Gomez.

Justice and Reflection

All three men now face multiple charges, including first-degree murder, aggravated assault, and criminal use of a firearm. Prosecutors have stated that they intend to seek maximum sentences, citing the particularly reckless and brutal nature of the attack.

But for the Viagas family, no sentence will bring back Frean—or undo the lifelong trauma they now carry.

This tragic case underscores a much larger issue facing cities across America: how gang violence and mistaken retaliation continue to take innocent lives. It also highlights the need for more comprehensive community support, intervention programs, and policing strategies aimed at dismantling gang networks before more lives are lost.

Final Thoughts

On a night that should have ended with laughter and memories, one family was shattered forever. Frean Viagas, just 11 years old, became a symbol of the innocent lives destroyed by gang violence.

As the legal process unfolds, one truth remains clear: this was a tragedy that never should have happened. And for the Viagas family, the wounds—both physical and emotional—may never fully heal.

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