Roman Michael Valenciano, a 19-year-old male from Albuquerque, New Mexico, died on Thursday, March 26, 2026, after what police described as a deadly road-rage shooting in Northeast Albuquerque. He had been born in Gallup and was living in Albuquerque at the time of his death. Online obituary information and family fundraising posts identified him as Roman Michael Valenciano and described a young man whose loss left his family suddenly planning a funeral instead of the ordinary future they
expected him to have.
The shooting unfolded in the middle of the afternoon, around 1:45 p.m., on San Mateo Boulevard NE near Phoenix Road and Constitution Avenue. Roman had reportedly finished work and was driving a gray Nissan Sentra to pick up his mother when he crossed paths with a silver Ford Mustang. According to police accounts reported by local outlets, surveillance video showed the Mustang making a U-turn at San Mateo and Phoenix, pulling into Roman’s path, and then driving in a way investigators described as aggressive and deliberate.
Police said the Mustang repeatedly brake-checked Roman’s Nissan, at times stopping in the roadway as the vehicles continued south on San Mateo. Roman appeared to try to continue away from the confrontation, but investigators said the Mustang accelerated and pulled alongside the passenger side of his car near Tully’s Italian Deli at 1425 San Mateo Boulevard NE. A ShotSpotter alert reportedly detected two rounds fired at about 1:48 p.m. Roman was struck by gunfire while still inside his vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators quickly focused on the Mustang and its driver. Police said officers received a description of the vehicle, and reports said a matching Mustang was later seen returning to the area multiple times after the shooting. Authorities also reportedly used license-plate readers, surveillance footage, and cell phone information to connect Cecilio Sanchez Lopez, also reported as Cecilio Lopez Sanchez or Cecilio Lopez, to the car and to the area at the time of the shooting.
Lopez, reported as 31 years old at the time of the arrest, was taken into custody by SWAT officers the next day. Albuquerque police accused him of firing from the silver Mustang and killing Roman during the road-rage encounter. Prosecutors charged him with an open count of murder, shooting at or from a motor vehicle resulting in death, tampering with evidence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Some reports also noted that Lopez was on probation for a previous felony conviction when Roman was killed.
The case drew additional attention because Lopez had a serious prior criminal history. Local reports said he had been charged with murder as a teenager in connection with the 2012 death of another 17-year-old, though reporting differed on the exact outcome, with some outlets stating he had served prison time after admitting to a murder charge and others reporting that the earlier murder charge was later dismissed. Roman’s mother publicly questioned why Lopez had been free, saying the loss of her son could have been avoided and describing Roman as her light, her star, and her best friend.
After his arrest, Lopez faced a detention hearing as prosecutors sought to keep him jailed while the case moved forward. A judge ultimately ruled that Lopez would remain behind bars until trial. As of the available reporting, the case was still in the pretrial stage, with Lopez accused but not convicted in Roman Valenciano’s killing.
