Teen will be tried as an adult in road rage shooting

A teenager is being tried as an adult on a murder charge in the slaying of a 16-year-old boy during a road rage incident in late March.

Deputies say Damian Luna, 16, fired the fatal shots that struck Efrain Arzate Jr. in the head as Arzate rode in the back of a car in southwest Albuquerque on March 20.

Luna is charged with an open count of murder, shooting at or from a motor vehicle, tampering with evidence and child abuse.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court, Luna emptied the clip of a 40 caliber pistol into the car carrying Arzate Jr. and two others from a car being driven by 19-year-old Alexis Rogers.

Rogers was arrested Monday and, during questioning, told detectives the vehicle with Arzate Jr. in it nearly hit her and she had swerved to avoid a crash.

According to the complaint, Rogers began yelling at the driver, who then ‘flipped her off” at the red light.

Rogers told detectives that as they continued driving, Luna “suddenly fired gunshots” at the car.

Deputies say once Rogers and Luna found out Arzate had been killed in the shooting, they fled the state, traveling to Texas, Nevada and Colorado before returning to Albuquerque.

Luna was already booked into the Juvenile Detention Center on April 17 on unrelated charges. When detectives tried to question him about the slaying, Luna asked for an attorney.

The District Attorney’s Office has asked that Luna be kept behind bars until trial, with a detention hearing set for next week.

Luna is the fifth juvenile arrested in four homicide cases so far in 2018.