NM man arrested, accused of shooting stepmom at graduation as she tried to hug him: Police

An Albuquerque, New Mexico man was arrested after shooting his stepmother during a graduation ceremony, police say.

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

The suspect has been identified as Christian Bencomo according to a post on X, formerly Twitter, by the Albuquerque Police Department.

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Man shot stepmom as she went in to hug him, arrest warrant states

Around 4:56 p.m. the Albuquerque Police Department was dispatched to the Convention Center after a report of a woman being shot in the neck and the suspect was being held by bystanders at the graduation. When officers arrived, the victim was transported to the hospital in stable condition. The suspect was detained and refused to speak with authorities, the arrest warrant said.

Eyewitnesses said that they heard a loud pop while they were waiting for graduates to give loved ones roses after walking across the stage. At first, the witnesses were not sure what the noise was and then saw the victim holding her neck before falling to the ground. The suspect then lifted his leg up to kick the victim in her head. However, one of the witnesses told detectives that they intervened and pulled the suspect down and restrained him until authorities arrived on the scene, the affidavit said.

Investigators spoke with the victim at the hospital before she went into surgery. She told detectives that after greeting her son who was graduating, she saw her stepson and opened her arms to give him a hug. However, the suspect then took out a firearm and shot the victim in the neck. The victim said that her and her stepson’s relationship was fine, and this incident was unexpected, the complaint said.

Man faces multiple charges in connection to shooting

After his arrest, Bencomo is charged with the following:

• Aggravated battery of a household member
• Use of firearm
• Unlawful carrying of a deadly weapon
• Negligent use of a deadly weapon

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

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at aforbes@gannett.com. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter).