New Mexico teenager Enrique Padilla, 19, who allegedly shot a man dead in a weekend dispute over reserved movie seats, has been captured.
The dispute that sparked the shooting happened late Sunday night in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Ironically, the incident happened before a screening of the Jennifer Lawrence comedy film, No Hard Feelings.
Padilla stands accused of one count each of homicide, shooting at an occupied building, and tampering with evidence. He was arrested and charged Monday after being discovered hiding in some bushes near an emergency exit for the theater. He also suffered a gunshot wound to his abdomen in the altercation, but police have not said how that happened.
Padilla was taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital for treatment after he was captured early Monday morning, police said. Michael Tenorio, 52, was shot and killed. He died at the scene despite an off-duty police officer administering CPR.
Witnesses claimed Padilla and his girlfriend were loudly arguing with an older couple prior to the shooting. Tenorio and his wife had allegedly been moved into different seats than those they had purchased by a movie theater employee. A report said that Tenorio and his wife paid for seats 8 and 11, but an employee suggested they sit together.
Padilla and his girlfriend were allegedly unhappy with the new seat arranging because it affected at least one of the seats they had reserved. A manager managed to briefly work out a deal, and the two couples were seated directly next to each other.
However, Padilla allegedly threw a bucket of popcorn at the older couple, and Tenorio pushed Padilla against a wall.
The incident occurred at the Century Rio movie theater. The venue was evacuated post-shooting and swept for safety.
“There was a sense of chaos here,” APD spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos told the Albuquerque Journal. “A lot of people were running from the theaters and trying to get out of the way.”
The theater is now closed