Gallup man pleads guilty to second-degree murder in a Church Rock shooting

A Gallup man pleaded guilty to federal charges for fatally shooting an 18-year-old man and wounding a 16-year-old girl at a Church Rock residence in April 2025.

Mario Israel Barraza, 19, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and assault with a dangerous weapon, according to court records, and faces up to life in prison at sentencing.

In the early morning hours of April 6, 2025, a shooting occurred at a Church Rock residence. A resident of the home awoke to gunshots and, along with a second resident, entered the 16-year-old girl's bedroom, where they found the 18-year-old man dead on the floor, the girl suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, and Barraza.

Barraza arrived at approximately 3:30 a.m. and approached the bedroom window, which he knew was sometimes left unlocked because he had previously entered the home through it when visiting the girl at night.

When Barraza opened the window he encountered the 18-year-old man, whom he had never met. The two began fighting through the window, and during the altercation a handgun was introduced. Barraza gained possession of the handgun and fired at least 11 gunshots into the bedroom.

Most of the shots struck the man. The girl, who was directly behind him, was also hit by gunfire.

Barraza fled the scene immediately after the shooting, drove home and disposed of the handgun in an open field. He later provided his attorneys with the location of the handgun.

The two people who were shot are citizens of the Navajo Nation. Barraza is not an enrolled member of any federally recognized Tribe.

The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the Ramah-Navajo Police Department.