Road rage shooting victim Lilly Garcia's family speak out

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Tony Torrez, 32, was arrested Wednesday following the shooting Tuesday
Albuquerque police say he has confessed to killing Lilly Garcia, 4
Little girl was riding with father and brother on Interstate 40 in Albuquerque
Father Alan Garcia claims Torrez cut him off while trying to exit
Said Torrez then pulled up beside him and 'fired four rounds into the car'
One hit Lilly in the head, killing her
An acquaintance that Torrez spoke to later tipped off police
Torrez charged with various counts and held in lieu of a $650,000 cash bail

By Dailymail.com Reporter and Reuters Reporter

Published: 19:45 EST, 22 October 2015 | Updated: 00:03 EST, 23 October 2015

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The father of a New Mexico girl shot dead in an alleged road rage attack says the accused fired four rounds into his car after cutting him off on a highway.

Alan Garcia is mourning the loss of his four-year-old daughter, Lilly, who was killed Tuesday on Interstate 40 in Alburqueque when shots were fired into their car from another.

Tony Torrez, 32, was arrested Wednesday and has since confessed to the shooting, police said.

Mr Garcia has told investigators he had picked up Lilly and son Isaac, 7, from school and was trying to exit the highway when a car crossed two lanes of traffic and blocked him, according to court documents obtained by CNN.

Mr Garcia called the driver a 'f---ing idiot' and kept driving, but claims the man came after him and started firing into the car.

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'Confession': Albuquerque police say that Tony Torrez, 32, admitted shooting Lilly Garcia, 4, in an alleged road rage attack on Interstate 40 on Tuesday. Torrez was arrested Wednesday as a person of interest

Police respond to the scene after Alan Garcia's truck (center) was shot at and his four-year-old girl inside was killed on I-40 near Unser in New Mexico on Tuesday afternoon

Devastated: Alan Garcia is mourning the loss of his four-year-old daughter, Lilly, who was shot in his truck

'We're not done': The family have vowed to seek justice for their daughter and make sure the shooter pays

Mr Garcia said he heard two shots, before his son said of Lilly: 'She's bleeding.'

As the suspect's car approached his truck, Mr Garcia said he heard a third shot and slammed on the brakes, causing the car to pass.

He said he then hear a fourth shot as the car sped away, CNN reported.

After pulling over, Mr Garcia realized Lilly had been shot in the head.

Two nurses stopped to help, but there was not much they could do. Lilly was taken by ambulance to hospital, where she later died.

According to the court documents, which have explained for the first time what may have caused the shooting, Torrez told an acquaintance that he shot the girl after the truck tried to run him off the road.

The acquaintance then contacted police and provided anonymous information about Torrez and what he had said, including his address.

Police then served an arrest warrant on Torrez, who reportedly confessed under questioning.

Overcome: Veronica Garcia said this week that shes 'not going away, my family's not going away'

Torrez has since been charged with an open count of murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, assault with the intent to commit a violent felony, shooting at or from a motor vehicle, child abuse, child abuse resulting in death and tampering with evidence.

He is being held on a $650,000 cash-only bond.

While the arrest of Torrez has somewhat helped the Garcia family, it has not given them any closure.

'He is a coward, he is a coward,' one relative told KOAT.

'And we're not done. We're just beginning right now... once he goes to court, we're there.'

Lilly's mother, Veronica, was just as forthright during an interview with the network.

'I'm not going away, my family's not going away, [Lilly's] face isn't going away," Mrs Garcia said.

Mark my words, you will see me again."

A bullet hole can be seen in the rear window of the Garcia's red truck in this crime scene photo

A GoFundMe account has been set up to pay for Lilly's funeral expenses, and Veronica used the description on the page to reach out to witnesses.

She wrote: 'Most of you know my precious Lilly was taken from us today. I ask all of you is to please share the news stories and if anyone has information on what happen today, please contact APD.

'I need to catch the individual who took my baby from me, her Dad and her brother. I beg you, please please please share. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me and Alan Garcia. Thank you for all your prayers.'

The police kicked off a massive manhunt for the suspect and are also calling for the public to come forward with information.

'We are in desperate need of info to help us resolve the conflicting information we're getting right now,' Police Chief Gorden Eden told the Albuquerque Journal. 'We're begging for the community's help.'

The girl's father told officers the shooting had stemmed from road rage and that the vehicles were both moving when the suspect pulled up beside him and 'started firing rounds into the car'

He described the girl's death as 'a terrible, tragic loss'.

'This is a complete disrespect of human life. This is something that should not be happening in Albuquerque, New Mexico,' Eden told KOAT.

The father did not have any weapons on him that the police knew of, Albuquerque Police Department Officer Simon Drobik told KRQE News 13.

Drobik said the family pulled to the side of the road until help arrived. An off-duty Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office deputy stopped at the scene soon afterwards, at 3pm.

The family received help after an off-duty Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office deputy pulled up their car at 3pm. The officer initially believed the child had fallen out of the car before realizing she had been shot

The officer initially believed the child had fallen out of the car before he realized she had been shot, according to KOAT.

An ambulance rushed her to a hospital, where she later died, said Eden.

Police were pulling over suspicious vehicles but have not made any arrests, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

Eden has asked for anyone who saw two cars cutting each other off near the Coors exit on the westbound I-40 highway to contact Albuquerque police.

Officers said the highway's westbound lanes from 98th Street to Coors Boulevard were closed for hours after the incident to search for possible bullet casings.

Eden called the crime 'unexplainable' and '100 per cent preventable'.

'We need to rise up as a community and say enough is enough,' he added.