A woman who showed up to the Cibola General Hospital in Grants with a gunshot wound brought out officers from the New Mexico State Police.
The New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau was called and took over the investigation, which revealed that a man identified as Deandre Mirabal, 23, of Grants, and the female victim, Raquel Morales, 21, of Grants, were traveling west in a Ford Mustang on Interstate 40 when they got into an argument and Mirabal produced a firearm.
Near Milepost 85, the woman, who was driving, tried to grab the weapon from Mirabal and then the altercation became physical.
During the struggle for the gun, it went off and hit the woman in the head. Mirabal managed to bring the car to a stop from his location in the passenger seat. He then drove to Cibola General Hospital.
The woman was treated and flown to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque where she was reportedly in critical condition as of Oct. 29. She succumbed to her injuries on Oct. 31.
An arrest warrant was issued out of of the Cibola County Magistrate Court for Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon. On Oct. 28 Deandre Mirabal was arrested without incident and booked into the Cibola County Core Civic Correctional Center in Milan, N.M.
An amended arrest warrant was issued Nov. 1 from the Cibola County Magistrate Court. Mirabal was charged with Second Degree Murder.
The New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau agents are working to independently determine the series of events leading to the shooting, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews. Throughout the process, investigative findings will be shared with the district attorney for their review and consideration.
