Dec. 12 – A man was arrested after allegedly shooting another man at an International District motel last month over a stolen shirt.
Jonathan Morales, 35, is charged with one count of murder and tampering with evidence in the Nov. 15 killing of 27-year-old Adan Valenzuela-Morales. One court report states Morales is from Albuquerque, while another indicates he is homeless.
The two men are not related, Albuquerque police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said.
Morales is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center. His lawyer could not be reached for comment.
“Adan was shot during this incident, but it was determined that he was the primary aggressor,” according to a criminal complaint filed in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court.
Police said they identified Morales through their databases.
Around 9:35 a.m. on the day of the incident, APD responded to a ShotSpotter activation at the Loma Verde Motel in the 7500 block of East Central.
When officers arrived, they saw a “soapy pool of water” that “appeared to contain blood” and a projectile, but no body. A hospital employee told police that a man – later identified as Valenzuela-Morales – came to the hospital, where he died.
A witness told police they saw a man standing over another man before shooting him and running west on Central, police said.
The Office of the Medical Examiner told police that Valenzuela-Morales was shot twice in the lower back, according to the complaint.
Valenzuela-Morales’ parents and sister — who drove from Mexico after hearing about the killing — told police they received a video from an “unknown individual” that showed Morales shot Valenzuela-Morales, police said.
Valenzuela-Morales’ friend told police that there were rumors that Valenzuela-Morales and Morales were fighting over a stolen shirt. The friend said Valenzuela-Morales punched Morales and when Valenzuela-Morales walked away, Morales shot him in the back, the complaint said.
A witness told police he was at the motel when he heard “Pop! Pop! Pop!” heard. and a woman screams. He then told police he saw a “young boy” fall to the ground “holding his stomach,” police said. The witness added that the shooter “absolutely wanted to kill him… there’s no doubt about that. … (H)he kept pulling the trigger… click, click, click, click, click. … ( H) He’s stuck, or he’s just out of bullets,” the complaint said.
The witness then told police he saw the man – later identified as Morales – change his T-shirt. Meanwhile, Valenzuela-Morales crawled through the parking lot and got into a dark-colored car, which took off, police said.
According to the complaint, the witness later identified Morales through a mugshot.
Through video surveillance, a detective said the victim was wearing a shirt similar to the one Morales wore the day before.
On Wednesday, Morales was arrested in a separate case and charged with six counts of aggravated assault, aggravated assault on a peace officer, assault on a health care worker, escaping from custody and resisting, and eluding and obstructing an officer, according to court records. .
In that case, Morales allegedly stabbed a security guard, a police officer and a nurse with a pen before trying to escape from police, police said.
