Man arrested after fatal shooting during car chase
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Police arrested a man accused of fatally shooting another man over stolen property during a car chase in Southwest Albuquerque in late June.
Angelo Barela, 33, is charged with an open count of murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and shooting at or from a motor vehicle in the June 25 death of Demetrius O鈥橬eill, 36.
Barela was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center late Thursday. It is unclear if he is represented by an attorney.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court:
On June 25, police responded to a shooting near Central and Coors and found O鈥橬eill shot. O鈥橬eill鈥檚 girlfriend told police they were driving in the area when they noticed a car following them.
The girlfriend told police she recognized the driver as Barela, O鈥橬eill鈥檚 former coworker. O鈥橬eill had burglarized Barela鈥檚 car days earlier, stealing a handgun, per the report. She said during the car chase O鈥橬eill threw the stolen gun out the window but Barela continued to chase them.
The girlfriend told police that Barela pulled alongside them and fired several shots at them, striking O鈥橬eill in the head. O鈥橬eill was taken to the hospital. It was reported to police he was not expected to survive, but O鈥橬eill held on for almost two weeks, dying on July 7.
鈥淒emetrius was a loving father, son, brother, friend, and cousin all gone to soon due to gun violence,鈥� according to a GoFundMe post for O鈥橬eill鈥檚 funeral expenses.
Police conducted a search of Barela鈥檚 Facebook account and found that, on June 20, he posted a photo of O鈥橬eill asking in an expletive-laden message if anyone knew where to find him.
In a Facebook message to someone who commented on the post about the burglary, Barela wrote, 鈥淲hen I catch him he鈥檚 gonna wish he didn鈥檛.鈥�
Police searched Barela鈥檚 phone records and found he was in the area at the time of the shooting, and video footage showed his car pursuing O鈥橬eill鈥檚.
