Man charged in ABQ shootout that ended in wife's death

Jul. 28—Deputies arrested a man accused of shooting at another vehicle — with his 4-year-old son in the back seat — during a gunfight that left his wife dead earlier this month in Southwest Albuquerque.

Izaiah Bolagh, 21, is charged with shooting at or from a motor vehicle, child abuse and tampering with evidence. Bolagh was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on Wednesday. It is unclear if he has an attorney.

The incident marked the second time Bolagh has faced such charges in a similar situation, according to court records. Bolagh is awaiting trial in a 2021 case where he allegedly exchanged gunfire with occupants of another vehicle with his son in the car.

The shooting death of his wife, Lesley Bolagh, during the July 17 incident remains an open homicide investigation with no arrests made.

A judge has awarded Lesley Bolagh's mother, Yadira Delgado, temporary custody of the couple's child after the family petitioned for custody due to "safety concerns," according to court records. The family's petition states Izaiah Bolagh "is not in good health and does not have a good support system."

Delgado told the Journal that Lesley Bolagh was very loving and "took great care" of her son.

"She was a mother who dedicated 100% of her time to her son and she wouldn't have liked to leave him at the age of 5, because he is about to turn 5 years," she said in Spanish.

Delgado added that, as a sister and a daughter, Lesley Bolagh "was always here."

"Even when I used to scold her for misbehaving, she always remained very loving, she always came back to me," she said.

On July 17, Bernalillo County deputies responded around 10:15 p.m. to a shooting at Coal and Dartmouth SE, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. Deputies found Izaiah and Lesley Bolagh had both been shot in the head, and their 4-year-old son had "minor lacerations" to his leg. Lesley Bolagh later died at the hospital.

The couple's white Chevy Impala was riddled with bullet holes, and deputies found bullet casings in the car, leading them to believe someone fired from inside, according to the complaint. Izaiah Bolagh told deputies a black car fired at them but couldn't say where exactly.

Deputies said the next day someone at a laundromat near Bridge and Isleta SW called deputies to report that an employee had found a bloodied gun in the parking lot. Video surveillance showed the Impala pull into the parking lot and something being thrown from the car the night of the shooting.

A man came forward and told deputies he saw a white Impala chasing a black car, and the driver of the Impala fired several shots at the black car, according to the complaint. Izaiah Bolagh told deputies he had not had a gun or thrown it out of the car.

According to deputies, a relative of Lesley Bolagh told them Izaiah Bolagh said he was racing another vehicle when the occupants shot at them. Izaiah Bolagh told the relative he shot back and tossed the gun out of the car.

The relative told deputies that, at Lesley's funeral, Izaiah Bolagh asked that he and her mother "lie for him because he didn't want to get locked up for a long time," according to the complaint. The relative said Izaiah Bolagh asked them to tell detectives that the gun "belonged to Lesley and that she had shot."

Bolagh was involved in a similar, albeit nonfatal, situation last year.

In April 2021, deputies responded around 6:15 p.m. to a crash in the 1200 block of Bonito SW, a few blocks from Arenal and Blake, according to court records. Izaiah Bolagh was holding his son when he told deputies someone shot at them, causing him to crash into a parked car.

Deputies said witnesses told deputies Izaiah Bolagh tried to leave afterward and had a gun on him, which he told them was "dirty." Witnesses showed deputies video of Bolagh chasing a black car and deputies found a bullet casing inside of his car.

Lesley Bolagh picked up her son from the scene, and deputies found the pistol in an irrigation ditch near where the crash occurred, according to court records. Izaiah Bolagh told deputies he passed a black car when he heard gunshots and armed himself.

Deputies said Bolagh told them he fired out the window "to defend his son from the other shooter." Bolagh told deputies he bought the gun off a friend but refused to give any more information.