Man Fatally Shot In Movie Theater After Argument Over Seats, Police Say
An argument over reserved seating at an Albuquerque movie theater led to the fatal shooting of a military veteran in front of his wife on Sunday, authorities said.
Michael Tenorio was shot twice at the Century Rio movie theater. Witnesses said he and his wife, Trina Tenorio, got into an argument with Enrique Padilla, 19, and his girlfriend over seating, according to documents obtained by HuffPost.
Albuquerque police said in an arrest warrant that the argument began after Padilla and his girlfriend contacted theater staff to move Tenorio and his wife from reserved seats during a screening of “No Hard Feelings.”
Staff members moved Tenorio and his wife a seat over, however Padilla expressed that he was not comfortable sitting next to the older couple and proceeded to throw a bag of popcorn at Tenorio, police said. Tenorio then approached Padilla and pushed him against the wall, saying, “What the hell,” according to the affidavit.
Padilla is accused of pulling out a handgun and firing multiple shots. Tenorio was struck twice.
Michael Tenorio and his wife.
Trina Tenorio recalled the moment she lost her husband in an interview with police officers following the shooting, the arrest warrant said. She said she saw a green laser attachment on the gun, which was also pointed at her during the shooting.
According to the arrest warrant, after the gun fired, she grabbed Padilla’s shirt screaming, “You shot my husband” until he and his girlfriend ran away. She said she chased the girlfriend and they got into a physical fight. She added that her husband was unarmed and doesn’t own a firearm, the arrest warrant said.
Officers said they found Padilla on a sidewalk nearby, bleeding from a gunshot wound to his abdomen, and he was taken to a hospital. It wasn’t immediately clear how he was wounded.
The Albuquerque Police Department announced his arrest on Monday on suspicion of murder, shooting at a dwelling or occupied building, and
tampering with evidence. According to police, the gun that was in his possession had been stolen.
Padilla has not yet appeared in court, and it wasn’t clear if an attorney was representing him.
According to data by the nonprofit group Everytown for Gun Safety, an average of 43,375 people die by gun-related deaths each year. New Mexico has the sixth-highest rate of gun deaths in the U.S.
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