Teen Claims She Had a ‘Bad Day’ Before Fatally Shooting Milwaukee Mother in Road Rage Incident: DA

Mariah Ruiz, 18, is accused of shooting her 44-year-old mother, Minerva Hernandez-Lopez, after a road rage argument in Milwaukee, according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE

Ruiz admitted to the shooting, police say, claiming she had a "bad day" and later wrote an apology to the victim's family

If convicted, Ruiz could face up to 65 years in prison

A Milwaukee teen has been accused of killing a 44-year-old mother in a road rage incident after having a bad day.

Mariah Ruiz, 18, has been charged with first-degree reckless homicide by use of a dangerous weapon, according to online records viewed by PEOPLE on Monday, Aug. 24.

The incident occurred on the afternoon of Aug. 17, when Ruiz is accused of engaging in a verbal altercation with Minerva Hernandez-Lopez that later turned deadly, according to a criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court and obtained by PEOPLE.

PEOPLE has reached out to an attorney for Ruiz, but did not immediately receive a response.

Ruiz allegedly cut Hernandez-Lopez off while she and a 16-year-old friend were on their way to a grocery store, before the verbal altercation ensued. At some point, Hernandez-Lopez allegedly "flicked [Ruiz] off," Ruiz told investigators, according to the criminal complaint.

Hernandez-Lopez allegedly told Ruiz, "Little girl, you need to drive," the 16-year-old told investigators, according to the complaint.

The witness said Ruiz allegedly replied by threatening to call U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Hernandez-Lopez after the victim yelled at her in Spanish, before the situation intensified, per the complaint. Ruiz also told investigators she "threatened to call ICE on the victim," the complaint reads.

Ruiz is then accused of pulling out a gun and following Hernandez-Lopez after their argument.

Hernandez-Lopez's tan GMC was reportedly seen on video backing into Ruiz's front bumper of her Nissan before Ruiz allegedly opened fire, according to the criminal complaint. Five bullet casings were recovered from the scene, where Hernandez-Lopez was pronounced dead.

"We tried everything we could do to help her," Jesus Ferreira, a witness, told WISN in an on-camera interview. "It's something traumatic [that] I've never seen."

The Milwaukee Medical Examiner's Office completed an autopsy, and said Hernandez-Lopez's cause of death was listed as a gunshot wound to the neck and the manner of death was homicide, according to the complaint.

The teen told authorities that she was having a "bad day" after fighting with her mother, the complaint alleges.

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Police say Ruiz admitted to shooting and killing Hernandez-Lopez and wrote a letter of apology to the victim's family.

Ruiz, who turned herself in, "stated that she did not mean to hurt the victim and she is not sure why she did it," according to the complaint. She also told investigators that her 16-year-old friend told her not to shoot at the time of the alleged attack.

If convicted, Ruiz could face 65 years in prison.

A cash bond of $100,000 was set for Ruiz. She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Friday, Aug. 28.