Video: Albuquerque shooting victims are dad, mom, 3 kids, motive investigated

The victims of the Albuquerque shooting incident were the 15-year-old shooter’s family members. As of Sunday night, investigators are still looking into a possible motive of why the 15-year-old Albuquerque shooter killed his father Greg Griego and 4 other members of his Albuquerque family. On Sunday night, the Bernalillo County sheriff's office announced that the victims in the Albuquerque shooting incident are Greg Griego, his wife Sara Griego, 9-year-old Zephania Griego, 5-year-old Jael Griego, and 2-year-old Angelina Griego, reported the Miami Herald on Jan. 20, 2013.

In an earlier Albuquerque shooting press conference, Bernalillo County Sheriff Dan Houston had said that the 15-year-old shooter “may be a family member.” Sheriff Dan Houston described during the Albuquerque shooting incident press conference that deputies had been called to the Albuquerque home in a rural area southwest of downtown Albuquerque around 9:25 p.m. on Saturday. A call had been made to the police dispatch indicating that a shooting had occurred. Sheriff Dan Houston said that deputies were called by “a party that was called by the suspect." Dan Houston emphasized that the “the dynamics of that relationship” is still unknown.

When deputies arrived at Greg Griego’s home, deputies found a most “horrific” scene of the shot two adults and the three grade-school children, two girls and one boy. All victims had been shot several times. Numerous weapons, including a semiautomatic military-style assault rifle were found by deputies at the Albuquerque shooting crime scene. Sheriff Dan Houston said that multiple weapons were used during the shooting. "I've never seen a scene quite like this."

The narrow dirt road that led to victim Greg Griego’s Albuquerque home was immediately blocked off with a roadblock as police and investigators searched the house which is surrounded by trees and an agricultural field on one side. Some of Greg Griego’s neighbors said that they saw the first police cars and some ambulances at the rural Albuquerque home on Saturday night. “The road was blocked and word of the shootings began to make its way through the neighborhood.”

During Sunday’s earlier Albuquerque press conference, County Sheriff Dan Houston had said that a 15-year-old had been charged with the Albuquerque shooting deaths. The 15-year-old suspect “has been charged with two counts of murder and three counts of child abuse resulting in death.”

The Associated Press is withholding the name of the 15-year-old Albuquerque shooting suspect while the investigation is ongoing because he is a juvenile. Bernalillo County sheriff's Lt. Sid Covington did say that while the alleged Albuquerque shooter is being charged as a juvenile by the District Attorney, prosecutors could bring charges against him as an adult.

Greg Griego, the 15-year-old Albuquerque shooting suspect’s father and victim, was a Fire Department chaplain who lived in the rural Albuquerque home with the other shooting victims including his wife Sara, 9-year-old Zephania, 5-year-old Jael, and 2-year-old Angelina.

According to the Miami Herald report, Greg Griego was a Fire Department chaplain and a spiritual leader who was known for his work with firefighters. He had spent 13 years as a volunteer chaplain at the county jail. Fire Chief James Breen said in a statement that “Chaplin Griego was a dedicated professional that passionately served his fellow man and the firefighters of this community. His calming spirit and gentle nature will be greatly missed."

Jail Chief Ramon Rustin said about Greg Griego that he was “instrumental in the creation of the Metropolitan Detention Center's chaplain program and worked to get inmates integrated back into the community.” In addition, “Griego also was a former member of the pastoral staff at Calvary, a Christian church in Albuquerque. As part of his work there, he oversaw the Straight Street program for jail inmates.”

While the names of the victims of Saturday’s Albuquerque shooting incident have been revealed by Sunday night, investigators are saying that they will not release any further information about the Albuquerque shooting incident, the victims, and any potential shooting motive until Sheriff Dan Houston holds a news conference on Tuesday.

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