Police say a fight over green chile enchiladas ended with 25-year-old Nathaniel Cavazos dead and his cousin charged in the shooting.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Police say a fight over green chile enchiladas ended with 25-year-old Nathaniel Cavazos dead and his cousin charged in the shooting.
Albuquerque Police Department (APD) said 22-year-old Ervin Gutierrez drove from Roswell to cook dinner with his cousins. Court documents say Gutierrez told Cavazos the chile in his enchiladas was too hot and the argument turned physical.
Police said Cavazos tried to walk away from the fight when Gutierrez pulled out a gun and shot him several times, killing him.
Cavazos had worked at the Copper Hills Apartments in northeast Albuquerque for about a year. Neighbors there said he made a lasting impact in a short time.
“You needed help, he would help every single person around here from our other residents to our disabled residents to helping them walk downstairs,” Savannah Aguilar said.
Aguilar said Cavazos was young, outgoing and known for his positive attitude. She said even a simple hello from him could turn someone’s day around, and neighbors at the complex are now mourning his death.
“It’s sad. It’s very sad that such a kind person was taken due to violence, and just—it’s just something that you just don’t really think that could happen, and especially so close to home,” Aguilar said.
How neighbors remember him
Aguilar said Cavazos is still bringing people at the complex together in death. She said many neighbors got to know each other only after the shooting.
“A lot of the neighbors here, I really didn’t know a lot of them until all of this happened. And it sucks that it takes something like this for you to get to know your neighbors,” Aguilar said.
Cavazos’ family attended a vigil but said they were not ready to speak on camera. They said they want him remembered as someone who laughed a lot and loved making others smile.
