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Journal North: Home | Sports | Opinion | Obits | Entertainment
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Victim in Critical Condition
By Vic Vela
Journal Staff Writer
A Las Vegas, N.M., man remained in critical condition Friday after being shot outside a bar there the day before.
New information provided by police on Friday indicates that suspect Gary Esquibel shot Jonas Montoya "several times" from inside his vehicle as the victim was standing outside Trujillo's Package Liquors, according to a police statement of probable cause. The store, located at 820 Grand Ave., has a bar inside, where Montoya, 26, had been hanging out that afternoon.
Esquibel, 23, faces attempted murder and other charges in connection with the shooting. He is being held at the San Miguel County jail on a $50,000 cash-only bond.
Police arrested Esquibel at a relative's home in Las Vegas a few hours after the shooting. There, officers found a handgun and crack cocaine, which he said he was selling, according to the report.
During an interview at police headquarters that evening, Esquibel told investigators that he drove to the bar armed with the handgun. He sat in his vehicle across the street from the business and waited for Montoya to exit the bar.
The suspect admitted that he fired his gun several times at Montoya as the victim was running across the street, toward Esquibel's vehicle, according to the report. Esquibel then fled the scene.
Police Chief Gary Gold said Friday that he was uncertain as to the motive and did not know if the shooting was drug-related.
In addition to attempted murder, Esquibel faces charges of drug trafficking and shooting at or from a motor vehicle.
Montoya was expected to undergo surgery at University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque after he was airlifted there following the shooting, according to the police report. A hospital spokesperson said Montoya was in critical condition as of 4 p.m. Friday.
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