Teen accused of murder turns himself in to police
ALBUQUERQUE – A 13-year-old suspect turned himself in to police today to face charges for Monday’s fatal shooting of a woman who confronted him about her stolen vehicle he was driving.
The juvenile suspect was booked this afternoon into the Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention Center on an open count of murder, tampering with evidence and unlawful possession of a handgun by a person.
Officers in the Southwest Area Command responded to reports of a shooting shortly before 9 p.m. on Monday, July 31, 2023, at the Smith’s gas station near Central Ave. and Coors Blvd. S.W. The victim, 23-year-old Sydney Wilson, died at the scene from a gunshot wound.
Witnesses told officers that Wilson’s white Hyundai was stolen and she was attempting to locate the vehicle with the GPS on her phone. Several teen-agers were in the car Monday evening, which they knew to be stolen about three days earlier. The teens said they stopped at one point and stole several bottles of alcohol from a Walgreens in Southwest Albuquerque.
Wilson was driving another vehicle and tracked the stolen Hyundai to the area of the gas station. Wilson was on the phone with a friend at the time and said she was going to confront the occupants inside the stolen vehicle.
As Wilson exited the vehicle she was driving, the driver of the white Hyundai drove forward and struck a black Mustang that was in front of her. The driver of the Hyundai attempted to flee, but crashed into a curb, resulting in the airbags to deploy. Several people, including Marcos Barela who was sitting in the left rear passenger seat, exited the white Hyundai and started to walk away from the crash.
Wilson approached the car making statements about the vehicle. Witnesses said the suspect retrieved a firearm from his waistband, pointed the gun at the white vehicle and fired 2-3 shots. At least one shot struck Wilson, killing her.
Detectives investigated the shooting through the night and identified the 13-year-old suspect as the shooter.
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