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A man told police he began shooting a gun during a fight at a Nob Hill nightclub Sunday morning because he was afraid for his life.
The shooting left one man dead and another injured.
Matthew Mora, age unavailable, faces an open count of murder among other charges, according to a criminal complaint.
Police say he shot Jabar Lewis at Copa Cabana Night Club, 4100 Central SE, at around 2 a.m. Sunday.
Lewis later died at University of New Mexico Hospital. Angelo Burdex suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen during the fight. He was in stable condition Sunday morning, according to an Albuquerque Police Department spokesman.
Police say Ahmad Williams, 22, was also involved in the fight and provided Mora with the gun, according to the complaint. He faces an aggravated battery charge, among others.
According to the criminal complaint:
Mora told police that he and Williams had a history of fighting with Lewis and Burdex. He said Williams gave him a revolver in the men’s bathroom at Copa Cabana and told him to hold it because it didn’t fit in his pocket.
Toward the end of the night, Mora said, Burdex hit Williams in the face with a pistol and threatened to kill him. During the struggle, Mora said he took the pistol out and began shooting at Lewis and Burdex. He told police he was afraid because he had seen both with guns earlier in the evening and both had threatened his life in the past.
He and Williams then ran from the club. A police officer recognized them based on the description given by a clubgoer and detained them. They were arrested Sunday.
