Inset: Ismael Tena (Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The O’Reilly Auto parts where Tena allegedly killed two men (Google Maps).
A man from New Mexico is currently in custody following a deadly altercation at an auto parts store in the state, where authorities reported the deaths of two individuals after a heated argument.
Ismael Tena, 27, stands accused of two counts of open murder in the first degree, according to jail records.
The incident took place at the O’Reilly Auto Parts location on Sunshine West Plaza Drive in Albuquerque, as detailed by the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office in a press release.
The accused, along with his father, visited the store intending to address a problem with their vehicle’s oil filter, but the visit escalated tragically, resulting in two fatalities.
According to an arrest affidavit cited by Albuquerque’s ABC affiliate KOAT, Tena and his father went to the store on Sunday afternoon to exchange an oil filter.
Tena’s father explained to the deputies that they had also requested two additional oil bottles due to the first filter being incorrect, which led the initial two bottles to be wasted. This request led to an argument with the staff. Frustrated, Tena allegedly took the oil he needed and walked out.
But two store employees would not have it.
The sheriff’s office reported that Richard Newman, 47, and Jesus Valdez, 18, followed Tena outside to confront him. Tena then reportedly drew a firearm and shot both individuals. Newman was pronounced dead at the scene, while Valdez died on the way to a nearby hospital.
The defendant then called 911 – saying he shot the men because they were “shoving and punching him” and “he was scared for his life.”
Law enforcement officials, however, says they were unable to find any evidence the store employees had become physical with the defendant – no markings on the defendant were consistent with an attack and there were no weapons found that were attributed to the slain men, the affidavit said.
The defendant was arrested after deputies pulled over his truck roughly two miles due east of the O’Reilly’s, the sheriff’s office said.
Newman’s family members mourned their loss.
“He was a hard worker, a provider. He did everything. Everything for us,” the slain man’s son told KOAT. “He cared. He did anything for anyone that he possibly can do. That weight will forever weigh heavy on us.”
Tena is currently detained in the Metropolitan Detention Center without bond.
The defendant appeared in court on Friday for a detention hearing. The judge opted to keep him detained until trial, according to a courtroom report by Albuquerque-based CBS and Fox affiliate KRQE.
During the hearing, two prior incidents involving gun violence and the defendant calling 911 on himself were highlighted by the state.
“Defendant is either the most unlucky person in the entire city or he’s bringing some of this upon himself,” a prosecutor argued.
While the defense noted Tena had never been convicted in those cases, the judge agreed they suggested a dangerous kind of trend within the man.
“I’m concerned about this defendant’s characteristics for impulsivity as demonstrated in the present case,” 2nd Judicial District Judge David Murphy said. “For introducing a gun into the situation and engaging in gun violence resulting in two deaths.”
