22-year-old Rio Rancho volleyball coach killed by drunk driver in Albuquerque

A three-car crash on July 1 in Albuquerque caused by a suspected drunk driver resulted in the death of a young, beloved Rio Rancho volleyball coach.

Tiger Gutierrez, a 22-year-old coach at E3 Volleyball New Mexico in Rio Rancho, died in the crash that happened at the intersection of Coors Boulevard and Montano Road NW.

Police arrested Jesus Sandoval-Martinez, 21, and charged him with two counts of vehicular homicide (DWI), reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident (great bodily harm or death) and failure to obey traffic control devices/signs.

The investigation into the crash showed that a gray Dodge Dakota truck driven by Sandoval-Martinez was traveling northbound on Coors Boulevard NW in the middle lane at a high rate of speed and ran a red light.

Police said the truck collided with Gutierrez’s black Tesla and a Toyota Corolla that were heading westbound on Montano Road. According to court documents, Sandoval-Martinez fled the scene on foot. Bystanders and witnesses followed him to a nearby Walgreens and restrained him until police arrived.

Gutierrez, and the passenger, who also coaches at E3, were critically injured and were taken to UNMH. Gutierrez died at the hospital, while the passenger remains in critical condition. The driver of the Toyota received minor injuries.

Officers who responded to the crash scene reported seeing empty beer cans in Sandoval-Martinez’s vehicle.

“A dear friend, passionate and talented coach and a wonderful human being was lost last night. Tiger Gutierrez was tragically killed in a hit-and-run by an intoxicated driver. We are all in shock,” E3 Volleyball wrote in a social media post. “As life constantly challenges all of us in so many ways, the loss of a young life is so unbelievably hard to grasp and come to terms with.”

Mia Montoya, who also coaches at E3, was injured in the crash.

E3 will be hosting a fundraising event from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, July 13, for Gutierrez’s family and Montoya.

“This will be a great way to show our love and support. We hope that every club member and all members of the volleyball community will drop by in honor of Tiger and to give our best to Mia. Together, we can make a difference,” the club said. “Our club has become a family of coaches that have grown very close over the years. Losing Tiger is losing a family member. We will be forever grateful for his passion and energy that he put forth, day in and day out. He made E3 a better place to be and has inspired so many young athletes to pursue their dream of volleyball. Words cannot express what a monumental loss this is. Tiger will be missed dearly.”

Gutierrez, a student at the University of New Mexico, started playing volleyball at Rio Rancho’s The ASK Academy in high school. Because Gutierrez went to a charter school, he was allowed to play other varsity sports like soccer, wrestling and track, at Rio Rancho High School. Gutierrez started playing at E3 his senior year of high school with the U16-18 teams during summer clinics. He started coaching at E3 in2023 and found a love for coaching.

A memorial service to celebrate Gutierrez’s life will be held at 3 p.m. July 12 at E3 Volleyball New Mexico, located at 3301 Southern Blvd., Unit 101.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to E3VB New Mexico at the above address; CasaQ.org; or the New Mexico BioPark Society.