A Milwaukee teenager is facing a serious homicide charge after prosecutors say a road rage argument turned deadly, leaving a 44-year-old mother shot to death in the street.
Mariah Ruiz, 18, has been charged with first-degree reckless homicide with use of a dangerous weapon in connection with the Aug. 17 death of Minerva Hernandez-Lopez, according to court records.
The confrontation began that afternoon while Hernandez-Lopez was driving to a grocery store with a 16-year-old passenger, according to a criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
Prosecutors say Ruiz allegedly cut Hernandez-Lopez off in traffic, sparking a heated exchange between the two drivers.
Ruiz later told investigators that Hernandez-Lopez “flicked [her] off,” according to the complaint.
The 16-year-old witness told police Hernandez-Lopez then yelled, “Little girl, you need to drive.”
The argument reportedly escalated after Hernandez-Lopez began speaking in Spanish.
According to the complaint, Ruiz allegedly threatened to call U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on her.
Ruiz also later admitted to investigators that she had threatened to call ICE, the complaint states.
Authorities say the confrontation did not end there.
Ruiz is accused of pulling out a gun and following Hernandez-Lopez after the argument.
Surveillance video reportedly showed Hernandez-Lopez’s tan GMC backing into the front bumper of Ruiz’s Nissan before gunfire erupted.
Five shell casings were recovered at the scene.
Hernandez-Lopez was pronounced dead there despite efforts by bystanders to help her.
“We tried everything we could do to help her,” witness Jesus Ferreira told WISN. “It’s something traumatic [that] I’ve never seen.”
An autopsy by the Milwaukee Medical Examiner’s Office determined Hernandez-Lopez died from a gunshot wound to the neck. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Prosecutors say Ruiz later told investigators she had been having a “bad day” after getting into an argument with her mother.
Police also say Ruiz admitted to shooting Hernandez-Lopez and later wrote an apology letter to the victim’s family.
According to the complaint, Ruiz said she “did not mean to hurt the victim” and claimed she was not sure why she fired.
Her 16-year-old friend had allegedly told her not to shoot during the confrontation.
Ruiz later turned herself in to authorities.
If convicted, she could face up to 65 years in prison.
A judge set her cash bond at $100,000.
She is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Friday, Aug. 28.
