Accounts of armed self-defense are everywhere, and though Second Amendment enthusiasts celebrate the freedom to keep and bear arms for this fundamental reason, no one is happy when a life is lost.

Particularly when the person killed is so young.

Police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, continue to investigate a shocking encounter that erupted late Wednesday night and resulted in the tragic death of a 14-year-old. The community is obviously rattled as multiple questions abound, mainly over the lawlessness of the youth.

Investigators believe Alfonso Sanderson and possibly six other teenagers and a 12-year-old accosted a couple in an apparent robbery attempt. The man and woman were sitting in a Jeep in an apartment complex when the violent confrontation unfolded.

Sanderson, 14, reportedly approached the vehicle with another suspect as he pointed a firearm at the intended victims. Another teenager, identified as Jeriah Salas, opened the rear door of the Jeep and brandished a weapon.

The teenagers then opened fire, striking the woman sitting in the passenger seat.

It was then that the husband returned fire, getting off multiple rounds against the attackers. Sanderson was struck and eventually died from his wounds, but this did not stop the all-out assault.

Police believe a female then entered the vehicle and fought with the husband. The man managed to put the Jeep in reverse and struck another car, and this appeared to end the violent attack.

It was then that the couple realized in all the mayhem that the wife had been shot, and he drove her to an area hospital. 

Local media reported that the teenagers put the fatally wounded Sanderson in their vehicle and took him to a nearby house, where they tried to get gas money.

APD investigators reported that one female suspect, Janiyah Pino, was grazed by a bullet and treated at a hospital. She was subsequently charged with the doomed attack.

Salas, the suspect accused of opening the Jeep’s rear door and pointing a firearm at the victims, faces numerous charges. They include attempted armed robbery with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery, and assault with a deadly weapon.

Other suspects were identified as Levi Salas, 13, Vicente Pino, 17, 12-year-old Jathan Gutierrez, and 14-year-old Elijah Gutierrez. 

Violent crime is an epidemic in New Mexico despite a slight decline in 2024. And law enforcement is having a tougher time closing cases even as the state’s rate hovers above the national level.

A December report from the Legislative Finance Committee showed that while violent crime cases were closed at about one in four a decade ago, that mark now stands at about one in seven.

Is it any wonder that the Albuquerque couple and so many others are arming themselves to prepare for criminal attacks?

There is much soul-searching going on this week in the community, with questions raised about the shocking violence at the hands of a group of youths and the tragic death that followed. 

Who is to blame when kids as young as 12 put themselves in a perilous situation where lethal force is almost inevitable?

As for the defenders, they are quite fortunate to have been armed and have enough rounds ready to protect themselves from the onslaught of attackers. Few, if any, would argue that they were anything other than justified in resorting to deadly force, however unfortunate the results were.

Second Amendment advocates are as horrified as anyone at the loss of so young of a life. There must be parental responsibility and community action to ensure that such violent acts are not repeated, or there will be more deadly outcomes.

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