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United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico
01/27/2026 | Press release | Archived content
Albuquerque Man Charged for Fatal Shooting of Pueblo of Isleta Member
ALBUQUERQUE - An Albuquerque man is in federal custody after the fatal shooting of a Pueblo of Isleta tribal member prompted a public search by the FBI.
According to court documents, on January 9, 2026, Pueblo of Isleta Police Department officers responded to a report of a shooting at a residence in Bosque Farms, New Mexico, within the exterior boundaries of the Pueblo of Isleta. Officers located the victim, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Isleta, suffering from gunshot wounds to the upper left chest. Despite life-saving efforts by officers and emergency medical services, the victim succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to witnesses, Bonifacio Silva, 18, a non-Indian, allegedly fired the fatal shots during a confrontation following an earlier verbal and physical altercation at the residence. Silva then fled the scene with his pregnant girlfriend. During a subsequent traffic stop, the pair reportedly provided false information to officers claiming the girlfriend was in labor, allowing them to be released. Silva was later dropped off in the Albuquerque area.
On January 12, 2026, the FBI's Albuquerque Field Office issued a wanted poster seeking information from the public as to Silva's whereabouts. Silva was arrested in Albuquerque later that day.
Silva is charged with second degree murder and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. He will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Silva faces a minimum sentence of ten years and up to life in prison.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The FBI's Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Pueblo of Isleta Police Department, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico published this content on January 27, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on January 29, 2026 at 12:44 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]