A movie-goer was shot dead in a fight over reserved seating during a showing of Jennifer Lawrence’s latest film, “No Hard Feelings,” over the weekend in New Mexico.
Michael Tenorio, 52, was shot and killed inside Century Rio Theater in Albuquerque during an 8:50 p.m. Sunday screening of Lawrence’s new rom-com, the Albuquerque News Journal reported. The suspected gunman, Enrique Padilla, 19, was arrested Monday.
Tenorio and his wife, Trina Tenorio, purchased seats 8 and 11 in Row F of the theater after an employee suggested they ask the two people in seats 9 and 10 to move down a seat, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the newspaper.
But when Padilla and his date arrived, the two couples started to squabble over the seats, prompting an employee to step in and eventually escalating to Padilla throwing an entire tub of popcorn at Trina Tenorio’s face.
Witnesses said the fight continued as the previews began rolling around 9 p.m., with Tenorio apparently yelling, “What the hell?” before pushing Padilla into the wall.
Gunfire then rang out, filling the theater with smoke and sending other movie-goers running for the emergency exits.
Padilla fled the theater through an emergency exit but was soon found hiding in some nearby bushes with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
A casing found in the bushes matched the casing in the movie theater, according to the complaint.
It was not immediately clear how Padilla was shot.
An off-duty police officer was in the theater at the time of the shooting and performed CPR on Tenorio, who was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina.
Padilla was charged on Monday with an open count of murder, shooting at a dwelling or occupied building and tampering with evidence.
