ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A video showing two little boys with a loaded gun is a gut-wrenching sight, not just New Mexicans, but anyone seeing it across the county. 

Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen says it’s not only the parents we should be questioning, but the Children, Youth & Families Department. He says he’s not happy with CYFD. 

Before his deputies confronted the boys back in February, deputies had been called out to their home 56 times.

Bernalillo County deputies recently released a video showing two boys, 7 and 9, one holding a loaded gun. Deputies were able to take the gun away. 

BCSO Sheriff John Allen says throughout the investigation, they’ve seen a recurring cycle with the brothers.

He says they would be taken into CYFD custody and then taken back to their home, just for them to run away and start the cycle all over again. 

After we shared this video with you last week, many of you asked: why weren’t the boys just arrested? Allen says the two boys would just be released back to CYFD.

“I think with the way the state system is, I believe it’s a system of failure. This is a case that is going to highlight that. That shows that these children are not being taken care of, from their home and their family. Then, if they got on the state side, they are released right back to the family, or someone that is familiar with the family, that does the children no good at all. And they’re just going to of into a life of crime?” Allen said. 

Local child advocates agree this is an issue they have seen before.

Maralyn Beck, founder of the New Mexico Child First Network, says she’s lived through a similar experience as a foster parent.

“This is not an isolated event. If this was an isolated event, we wouldn’t be here. When I was a foster parent, I had a very similar situation. On her 100th day of school of kindergarten, the school told me they had called 56 times. In 100 academic days, they had called more than one in two days,” Beck said. “How many times do you need to call to make sure our kids are OK? 56 is too many.” 

We reached out to CYFD and they say they could not comment on the case at this time.