An Albuquerque smoke shop owner was arrested for murder Thursday afternoon after fatally shooting an alleged shoplifter fleeing his store.
According to Albuquerque Police and court records, officers were called to a car fire in a parking lot at San Mateo Blvd. and Lomas Blvd. NE about 3:10 pm Thursday and removed a male driver from the burning car. Officers soon discovered the driver had a gunshot would which proved fatal.
According to a woman who had been in the vehicle prior to the shooting, the victim had gone into the smoke shop and came running out a few minutes later with another man, later determined to be owner, chasing him.
The owner later told police that after realizing the shooting victim had stolen two t-shirts and a glass bong, he chased the man while armed with a Smith and Wesson handgun outside the store where he attempted to stop the driver from leaving. After grabbing the door handle and falling as the vehicle backed away, the owner picked up his handgun and pursued the vehicle on foot.
The business owner admitted to police that he shot into the alleged shoplifter’s vehicle after the driver began to drive away. “I was angry, he fucked me over,” detectives quoted the man as saying during an interview.
The woman in the vehicle told police that after the driver was shot, the vehicle crashed and caught fire.
The owner told detectives that the total value of the stolen items was $75.00.
nm.news does not identify victims or the names of persons accused of crimes before conviction unless there is a public safety risk.
This kind of vigilante action can be predicted when thieves are allowed to walk in to stores and walk out with whatever they want in some misguided sympathy for the poor souls who “have” to steal. Now there will be much talk of gun control and no talk of arresting thieves. No, the thief did not deserve the death penalty. Does anyone but me write comments on your digital publication?
Honestly, Sue! What alternative did the owner have? Call the cops? Much good that would do in this Keller administration. Depending on response time, the thief may have been apprehended then taken downtown, detained over night, and released next morning to return to thieving someone else. You see Sue, this is how the Keller administration can boast “to crime has dropped in the city”. When in fact this is no more than a political facade. Four more years of being lied to? I hope not.
I just read your masthead. When will you start “great local journalism”?
There is always room for improvement, but what do you think is not “great local journalism” here? They’re making an attempt to get timely local news to us. What’s wrong with that?
Failure by the Mayor and APD caused this. The store owner should get an award . Guess APD is too busy to protect and serve its citizens. If the criminal had killed the store owner, he would be out of jail already
Why was the car on fire? Would’ve been nice to know…
I agree with Elene.
Well, I for one, really appreciate NM.news and think this is great local journalism. On the subject of the murder/robbery, I am planning on sharing this with a self defense class that I teach. A good reminder that we are justified in defending our lives but there is a line that, if we cross it, we become the bad guy. As far as predictability goes, I suppose it is equally predictable that if we have an economy that excludes a bunch of people that some of them will turn to crime. Fix the inequality, you fix the crime. Fix the crime, you fix the vigilantism.
Thanks for being reasonable about this. It’s not worth it to shoot someone for $75 worth of items. Losing $75 of business is not going to kill you.