A 22-year-old man has been charged with an open count of murder after he fatally shot his cousin in an argument that began over the spice level of a green chile enchilada. Police arrested Ervin Joaquin Gutierrez after a fistfight led to the deadly shooting of 25-year-old Nathaniel Cavazos at the Copper Hills apartment complex in northeast Albuquerque.
Fatal shooting occurred during argument over enchiladas, witness says
On August 27 at around 11:00 p.m., Albquerque police responded to a call of a shooting and found Cavazos unresponsive on a walkway in a pool of blood, according to NBC. According to a warrant affidavit, Cavazos passed away from his injuries.
A witness to the shooting, a cousin of Gutierrez and Cavazos, said that the three had gotten together during the afternoon. After purchasing groceries, they cooked green chile enchiladas at the apartment while drinking alcohol.
The witness says Gutierrez later began hounding Cavazos, telling him multiple times that the chile of his enchilada was hotter than the one on Cavazos’ plate. Cavazos made the point that both enchiladas were the same spice level because they were cooked together, but Gutierrez wouldn’t let it go and continued to challenge him to eat his dish. A separate report from ABQ Raw says Gutierrez called Cavazos a “b****” several times.
The argument then escalated into a fight, with Cavazos punching Gutierrez hard enough to draw blood. The fistfight ended with Cavazos walking away, but as his back was turned, Gutierrez allegedly yelled, “We’re family! We’re family! How could you do this to me?”
He then pulled out a handgun and shot Cavazos three or four times. Gutierrez then fled the scene.
Police says the witness revealed a Snapchat message from the shooter that provided some context on how the situation escalated so quickly. “Is he really dead?” Gutierrez allegedly wrote. “I did not want to kill him but i didn’t want him to kill me.”
A handgun belonging to Cavazos was located 10 yards from his body, according to investigators.
Gutierrez turned himself in to police downtown Albuquerque.
