A man from New Mexico is accused of fatally shooting his cousin after a drunken dispute over the spiciness of green enchiladas, as per recent reports.
Ervin Joaquin Gutierrez, aged 22, was arrested and charged with murder in connection with the death of his 25-year-old cousin, Nathaniel Cavazos, at an Albuquerque apartment complex on Thursday night, according to local law enforcement.
On the day of the incident, Gutierrez had gone to visit Cavazos and another cousin. They had all gone grocery shopping together and later prepared green enchiladas while consuming alcohol, as stated in an affidavit received by NBC News.
During the gathering, Gutierrez insisted that the chiles in his enchiladas were considerably spicier than those on Cavazos’s plate, prompting him to encourage his cousin to sample them.
Cavazos, on the other hand, pointed out that they were all eating the same dish, thus arguing there shouldn’t be any noticeable difference in spiciness, as detailed in the affidavit.
As the situation became more heated, a third cousin suggested they take a break by walking his dog. However, while outside, a physical altercation broke out between Cavazos and Gutierrez, according to the witness.
Cavazos managed to inflict enough damage to Gutierrez to leave him bleeding before attempting to walk away from the confrontation.
In a shocking turn, Gutierrez retrieved a handgun, exclaiming, “We’re family! We’re family! How could you do this to me?” before firing three or four times at his cousin, hitting him in the back, as recounted by the bystander.
Law enforcement received a call around 11 p.m. and discovered Cavazos deceased in a pool of blood in the walkway between the buildings.
A handgun that belonged to Cavazos was found approximately ten yards away from his body.
The cousin who witnessed the grim event showed investigators a Snapchat message from Gutierrez, who had fled the scene, in which he claimed that Cavazos had threatened him.
In the message, Gutierrez reportedly asked, “Is he really dead? I did not want to kill him, but I didn’t want him to kill me.”
Gutierrez was apprehended late Friday and is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center on a murder charge, according to jail records.
