Bernalillo County District Attorney and 2026 gubernatorial hopeful Sam Bregman said a teenager who shot and killed a homeless man had a criminal history involving guns but faced no consequences after being arrested several times.
Now, Bregman has had it up to the top of his trademark cowboy hat with New Mexico lawmakers, who have failed to address the youth crime crisis in the state.
According to Bregman, investigators said a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old shot and killed a 23-year-old homeless man camping outside an apartment on Carlisle Blvd last month after the homeless man asked the teens to stop shooting into a nearby arroyo.
“Enough is enough. This office has been asking — and urging — lawmakers, over and over, to address the juvenile crime crisis in our state,” Bregman said. “One of the teens charged with this latest homicide was convicted of bringing a gun to Sandia High School just two years ago. Then he was busted for another gun crime a year later. There were no consequences. He didn’t learn anything except that he could get away with carrying a gun as he pleased. Now, a 23-year-old man is dead, and two teens are charged with murder.”
The 17-year-old was on juvenile probation at the time of the murder.
“This office has charged more than four dozen juveniles with murder in just a few years,” Bregman said. “Violent juveniles in our community can face consequences and get behavioral health treatment. The time to do something is now. Ask yourself — how is our current juvenile justice system working? It’s not. Innocent people are dying.”
The DA’s office said the 17-year-old is charged with:
- Murder in the first degree
- Conspiracy to commit shooting at a dwelling or occupied building
- Shooting at a dwelling or occupied building
- Negligent use of a deadly weapon
- Unlawful carrying of a handgun by a person under the age of 19
The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office intends to try him as an adult.
The 18-year-old is also charged with an open count of murder and multiple other crimes.
Bregman announced in April that he is running to be New Mexico governor next year.
For Bregman, a career litigator for over three decades, the top priority is “fighting back against the scourge of crime that has hit every corner of our state.”
At least that’s one less homeless junkie to have to deal with.
Paul, you remind me of something that I scraped off the bottom of my shoe
That’s a terrible thing to say. That’s a human being and many homeless people are severely mentally ill. Shame on you.
This is the kind of hate-filled rhetoric we don’t need.