STATE
Clovis police arrest murder suspect, another at large
A man faces murder charges after a Main Street shooting, with court records suggesting a link to a 2020 cold case.
CLOVIS 鈥 A Clovis man shot to death early Saturday on Main Street was involved in an extended physical altercation with multiple people before he was killed.
That fight might have stemmed from an unsolved homicide from five years ago, court records show.
An affidavit that led to the Tuesday arrest of Tony Hamilton-Evans details the incident, which began shortly after midnight near 11th and Main streets.
Records show Eleno Cristobal Vincente Gallegos, 22, was shot multiple times by a man wearing a durag who witnesses identified as Evans, 26.
Evans turned himself in to police Tuesday afternoon and was booked into the Curry County jail on charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
Police had been searching for him since a warrant was issued Sunday.
Deputy Police Chief Steven Wright said Evans did not provide a statement and did not answer investigators' questions. He was being held without bond.
Police on Tuesday afternoon were still searching for Zyeir Williams, 18, whom investigators believe was among those fighting with Gallegos. An affidavit seeking Williams' arrest was filed Tuesday. He is accused of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
Wright said Williams was not in custody Tuesday afternoon and officials did not know his whereabouts.
Wright said at least three guns were present at the scene and two were fired, though investigators believe only Evans shot Gallegos.
Police were alerted to the shooting at 12:37 a.m. Saturday. Video posted online shows emergency workers performing lifesaving measures on Gallegos in the street outside RNR Tire Express. Gallegos died shortly after arriving at Plains Regional Medical Center.
Wright described the homicide as "two people involved in a fist fight that turned into a shooting."
He said a large crowd was in the area at the time, most appearing to be teenagers or people in their early 20s.
The arrest affidavit 鈥 based on witness statements and security video from RNR Tire Express and Clovis Municipal Schools 鈥 indicates the altercation began with a verbal argument involving Gallegos before Williams and Gallegos began fighting.
According to the affidavit, Gallegos broke away from Williams and ran, but Williams and others chased him and "continued hitting and kicking Eleno."
Records show the altercation involved allegations that Gallegos or members of his family were involved in the 2020 killing of Williams' mother. Tchicaya "Caya" Williams was killed in her family's apartment during a drive-by shooting.
No arrests have been made in connection with Caya Williams' death.
"There is still not sufficient evidence to establish probable cause against the individual the family believes is responsible," Clovis Police Chief Trevor Thron said in December on the anniversary of Williams' death.
Thron also said there is no evidence Caya Williams was specifically targeted. Franzes Williams, Caya's mother, alleges her daughter's killer told others he saw Caya standing in a window when he fired the fatal shots.
One witness to Saturday's homicide told police Gallegos was initially involved in a verbal argument with two people when Williams approached and asked whether Gallegos was bothering them. The physical altercation between Gallegos and Williams began at that point, the witness said.
"During the altercation, (Williams) had a firearm and at some point, Eleno is able to get the gun away," court records state.
The witness said Gallegos did not point the gun at anyone as he attempted to flee. He was then confronted by Williams and Evans, who "began to strike him with hands and feet." The witness said he then saw "muzzle flashes" from a firearm and "everyone scattered."
The arrest warrant filed Tuesday against Williams states he had a firearm in his hand while fighting with Gallegos. Video later shows Gallegos running "with the lower receiver of the handgun" he had taken from Williams, according to the affidavit.
Neither Gallegos nor Williams is accused of firing a weapon during the altercation. Investigators allege only Evans fired the shots that killed Gallegos and then "removed the firearm from the scene of the crime."
Wright said the broken handgun was not used in the shooting.
The affidavit against Williams alleges another individual at the scene was armed and was "firing multiple rounds into the air at the same time the shooting of Eleno is taking place."
Records describe the man as a friend of Gallegos and state video shows him collecting shell casings from the rounds he fired into the air.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the man had not been charged with a crime, though police were continuing to investigate the incident. Court records do not explain why he fired the weapon. Wright said investigators do not believe any of the estimated five rounds fired into the air caused Gallegos' death.
Police ask anyone with information about Williams' whereabouts to call the nonemergency line at 575-769-1921 or Curry County Crime Stoppers at 575-763-7000.
"You can also provide anonymous tips by using the Clovis Police Department's Tip411 program," police said.
The shooting occurred about 2陆 hours after the annual Draggin' Main festivities officially ended nearby. Thousands of people had gathered along the closed portion of Main Street to view classic cars. One witness said she had attended Draggin' Main events before the shooting, but Wright said investigators do not believe the homicide was connected to the event, which was largely confined to Main Street between Grand Avenue and Seventh Street.