Middletown resident accused of killing man after fight at gas station

MIDDLETOWN – A fight at a city gas station left one man dead and another man facing a manslaughter charge, city police said.

Jose Vazquez-Rivera has been accused of killing Daniel Mesa-Rios as the result of an assault at the BP gas station at 139 Wickham Ave.

Vazquez-Rivera allegedly punched and kicked Mesa-Rios during a dispute on July 26, Middletown police Lt. Jeffry Thoelen said. Mesa-Rios was taken to Garnet Health Medical Center, where he was taken off life support and pronounced dead on Saturday, police said.

Vazquez-Rivera and Mesa-Rios were both Middletown residents, Thoelen said. They got into an argument at the gas station that turned violent, he said, with Vazquez-Rivera assaulting Mesa-Rios before leaving the scene.

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Officers arrived and found Mesa-Rios, 31, unconscious on the ground. A witness told police Mesa-Rios had been attacked by another man who had driven away.

Vazquez-Rivera then returned to the gas station and told officers that he had been in a fight with Mesa-Rios, police said. The 35-year-old was arrested and charged with second-degree assault.

Vazquez-Rivera was arraigned in Middletown City Court and released on bail, police said. He was arrested again after Mesa-Rios died.

Vazquez-Rivera has since been charged with second-degree manslaughter, a felony, and is being held at the Orange County Jail. He is due back in court Friday.

His lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Middletown man arrested after fatal fight at BP gas station on Wickham