Source: US FBI
ALBUQUERQUE – A Dulce man has been charged in federal court for allegedly shooting a minor during an argument inside a vehicle.
According to court documents, on July 21, 2025, the minor victim was in a vehicle with another person when they picked up Leandrew Cody Velarde, 21, an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, who appeared intoxicated. During a subsequent argument, a gun discharged, striking the victim in the buttocks. When the victim attempted to call 911, Velarde reportedly threw their phone and fled the scene.
The victim was airlifted to a local hospital for treatment. Investigators later recovered a Glock handgun and a spent shell casing near the scene. Velarde was arrested nearby and found in possession of marijuana, liquor, and a cell phone.
Velarde is charged with abandonment and abuse of a child, recklessly caused, resulting in great bodily harm. He will remain in third-party custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Velarde faces 18 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Jicarilla Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Marshall is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.