Left: Rory Horowitz (Bernalillo County Sheriff”s Office). Right: Ellyssa Salazar (Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office).
In New Mexico, a man was tragically shot in the head while showing his new motorcycle to a friend, caught in the crossfire of an altercation intended for someone else, according to authorities.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office has identified Rory Horowitz as the suspect in the shooting of 21-year-old Roberto Carlos Pineda Arriaza. Initially, Horowitz faced charges related to firing from a vehicle, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and aggravated battery resulting in serious harm. With Arriaza’s subsequent passing, detectives plan to modify the warrant to include an open count of murder.
Ellyssa Salazar is also implicated in the incident and faces charges for tampering with evidence and harboring a fugitive.
The incident unfolded on a Saturday when Horowitz and Salazar, whose ages remain undisclosed, were traveling together in Salazar’s Mitsubishi in Albuquerque, New Mexico. An encounter with another vehicle resulted in a burst of “road rage,” investigators report.
Arriaza was in the area of Bridge Boulevard and Sunset Road, proudly showing off his new motorcycle, when shots were fired, as reported by local CBS affiliate KRQE. Horowitz allegedly discharged his firearm at the other vehicle, inadvertently hitting Arriaza in the head.
First responders quickly arrived at the scene, providing critical aid and transporting Arriaza to the hospital. Sadly, he succumbed to his injuries three days later.
Investigators say they identified Horowitz as their “primary suspect,” and they tracked him and Salazar to a residence in El Paso, Texas, where they arrested them. “The arrest warrant affidavit states witnesses described the shooter, linked him to the Mitsubishi, and tied additional evidence back to Horowitz during the course of the investigation,” the sheriff’s office added.
The other person “involved in the road rage incident” was arrested by the Albuquerque Police Department on charges of aggravated fleeing of a law enforcement officer and reckless driving, according to the sheriff’s office, which said “investigators have not developed evidence showing that individual fired any rounds during the incident.”
As of Wednesday, authorities were in the process of extraditing Horowitz and Salazar back to New Mexico. The investigation was still ongoing, and investigators were still searching for the Mitsubishi.
