A dispute between two Hispanic men inside a New Mexico movie theater over seats culminated in one of the men being killed by the other.
The Albuquerque Police Department reported that Enrique Padilla, 19, faces a murder charge in connection with the shooting death of Michael Tenorio, 52. The events were reported Sunday at about 9 pm at Cinemark Century Rio , located in the northeast of the city.
Both were in the movie room “No Hard Feelings” (No Grudges) when the altercation took place.
Tenorio arrived at the scene with his wife and Padilla with his girlfriend, according to data provided by the authorities.
Allegedly, in the middle of the argument, Padilla threw a container of popcorn at Tenorio and his partner. Tenorio, for his part, would have pushed the other against the wall. It was at that moment that the youngest allegedly shot the victim.
The wounded man’s wife told investigators that prior to the shooting she saw a green light that supposedly came from the weapon.
Although an off-duty police officer attempted to revive Tenorio, he died at the scene. Before Padilla fled with her companion from the theater, the women physically confronted each other.
At least 20 witnesses called the Police to come to the cinema.
“There was some kind of chaos here (in the theater),” Gilbert Gallegos, director of Communications for the police department, described from the scene. “There were a lot of people running from the theaters and trying to get out,” he added, as quoted by the Albuquerque Journal.
It is unclear if the gunman’s partner will face charges in connection with the events.
At the moment, Padilla is being held without the right to bail.
The suspect was found hiding behind a bush in the emergency exit of the theater. The young man was injured and asked a passerby to call 911 because he had been shot. There is no information on how he was injured. Tenorio’s wife indicated that his spouse did not have a weapon and no witness was going to get one.