In the pre-dawn hours of August 18, 2024, a wave of violence shattered the quiet streets of downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico, claiming the life of 13-year-old Michael Allen Tubb. The young male was a passenger in a vehicle with other teenagers near 4th Street and Atlantic Avenue at approximately 3:30 a.m. when their car was riddled with bullets. Tubb was fatally wounded, while a 17-year-old female passenger sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to her ankle.
The investigation
into the senseless shooting led the Albuquerque Police Department to two suspects. The first, 22-year-old Michael Flores, was apprehended in October 2024. Authorities alleged that Flores was the driver of the vehicle from which the fatal shots were fired. Following an indictment by a grand jury, he was released on an ankle monitor. In a significant development, detectives arrested a second suspect, 21-year-old Thomas Acee, on December 7, 2024. Acee faced a barrage of charges, including an open count of murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and shooting at or from a motor vehicle.
Court records revealed a chilling motive behind the tragic event. Acee and Flores were reportedly in downtown Albuquerque when Acee mistook the vehicle carrying Tubb and his friends for one belonging to someone who had previously wronged him. It is alleged that Acee then fired at least 12 rounds into the car, tragically ending Michael Tubb's life. In the aftermath of the shooting, the suspects allegedly attempted to conceal their involvement by repairing a bullet hole in Flores' Lexus and making plans to sell the vehicle in Colorado. The case drew heightened media attention due to the revelation that Thomas Acee is the son of a prominent FBI Special Agent, Bryan Acee.
The legal proceedings took another unexpected turn when Michael Flores entered into a plea agreement in February 2025, pleading guilty to conspiracy and evidence tampering charges. As part of the deal, he agreed to testify against Thomas Acee. However, before the case could proceed to trial, Acee was found unresponsive in his jail cell in July 2025 and was pronounced dead. His death is currently under investigation. Michael Flores is scheduled to be sentenced in November and faces up to 20 years in prison for his role in the events that led to the untimely death of Michael Tubb.
