CRIME
6th man arrested in fatal International District shooting
Man is accused of forcing victim out of store before he was fatally shot
Published
Modified
A sixth man has been arrested in a fatal July shooting outside of a smoke shop in the International District.
Luis Ornelas, 28, is charged with an open count of murder, conspiracy to commit an open count of murder, attempt to commit a felony, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and tampering with evidence in the death of Dominic Hernandez.
He was arrested Sunday after an officer reportedly saw him trespassing on private property and learned Ornelas had a warrant for his arrest. He was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center and does not have an attorney yet.
鈥淭he defendant worked with others in the killing of another person,鈥� states a pretrial detention motion filed in Metropolitan Court. 鈥淭he community will remain at risk if this defendant is released.鈥�
Ornelas is accused of being one of six men who allegedly conspired to fatally shoot Hernandez on July 20 after one of the men in the group accused him of stealing $900, according to a Monday news release from Gilbert Gallegos, spokesperson for the Albuquerque Police Department.
Charles Richards, Tinh Nguyen, Daniel Tadege, Brandon Davis and Jose Valenzuela-Ruiz have also been charged in connection with the shooting.
The group allegedly forced Hernandez out of the Smoke City smokeshop 鈥� at 6900 Central SE 鈥� as the man attempted to hide from the group, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.
Footage from the store showed the group shoving Hernandez out of the store against his will, the complaint states.
Hernandez attempted to run from the group before Tadege swung a crowbar at him and Richards opened fire, according to the complaint.
An obituary for Hernandez said that he was a kind man who loved basketball, music and food.
鈥淗e showed kindness to those who were struggling,鈥� the obituary states. 鈥淚n the days following his passing, many shared stories of how Dominic offered encouragement, stood beside them during difficult times, and inspired others to begin a new path in life.鈥�
Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.
