Man charged with homicide in Thursday shooting
Jul. 29—A man who was shot on Rufina Street near Richards Avenue early Thursday morning has died, and another man has been charged with killing him.
Santa Fe police responded to a call about a shooting at that intersection at 2:16 a.m. Thursday and found Pedro Cardoso, 28, police said in a news release. He was transported to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in critical condition. According to a police report, he had been shot twice — once in the left buttocks, once in the right hip.
Detectives arrested Joseph Lopez, 34, initially charging him with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and trafficking of a controlled substance, fentanyl.
Cardoso died around 4 a.m. Saturday, and Lopez will now face an open count of murder, police said.
According to the police report, police quickly located Lopez in the area of the shooting with an injury to his face or head. He told police three men had tried to beat him up and rob him and, in the process, he shot one of his attackers with their own firearm. He said he was in a field visiting his brother when he was jumped and identified his attackers as "Pedro," "Fat Boy" and "Little Bear," according to the report. The report also says police found 97 fentanyl pills inside one of Lopez's socks, an amount that indicates trafficking rather than personal use.
The homicide is the fifth of 2023 in Santa Fe; there were six in all of 2022.
Three other recent homicides have taken place in the same general area as Cardoso's shooting — James Towle, 55, was shot to death at Rufina Street and Siler Court in December 2022. Ramon Vigil, 21, was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Lowe's Home Improvement on Zafarano Drive in April, while Ricardo Chavez-Padilla, 39, was shot in February in the parking lot of the Home Depot on Richards Avenue and later died. The Home Depot is right next to the address where the police report states Cardoso was shot.
Both the victim and suspect had rather extensive arrest records. Lopez pleaded guilty to felony shoplifting and robbery charges a few years ago, and at the time of his death Cardoso had a warrant out for his arrest on child abuse and drug possession charges.
Detectives are still investigating the incident and ask anyone with any information to forward. More information will be released as it becomes available, police said. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Detective Javier Vigil at 505-955-5412.
