Jury convicts man of murder in Central Avenue killing

A jury on Monday convicted Pedro Larringa-Herrera of first-degree murder in a fatal 2022 shooting outside a Central Avenue video store.

Prosecutors told jurors that Larringa-Herrera, 53, was shooting from a car at another man when he fatally shot 37-year-old Daniel Gardner.

The 2nd Judicial District Court jury also convicted Larringa-Herrera of aggravated battery and two counts of tampering with evidence in the Aug. 16, 2022, shooting.

The first-degree murder conviction requires Larringa-Herrera to serve at least 30 years in prison before he is eligible for parole. Judge Cindy Leos has scheduled his sentencing hearing for July 3.

Prosecutor Emilie Edmonds told jurors last week that the events that led to Gardner’s shooting began two days earlier with a dispute between Larrenga-Herrera and another man he knew as “Florida.”

On Aug. 14, 2022, Larringa-Herrera shot and injured “Florida” during a dispute outside the Adam Food Market, Edmonds said in opening statements.

Two days later, Gardner was fatally shot while he, “Florida” and others were standing outside the Pussycat Video store, located across the street from Adam Food Market, Edmonds told jurors.

Albuquerque police found Gardner lying on the sidewalk in front of the Pussycat Video at the corner of Central and Pennsylvania NE. Gardner was conscious at the time, with apparent gunshot wounds to the arm and chest.

Gardner died in a hospital about three weeks after the shooting.

Police obtained surveillance video that showed a white Lincoln Navigator SUV with a legible license plate that they said was used in the shooting, according to a criminal complaint.

The video, which was shown to jurors during the trial, showed the SUV driving west on Central and making a right turn onto Pennsylvania before nearly coming to a complete stop at the north end of the Pussycat Video building at 7901 Central.

The driver appeared to lean over the empty passenger seat and fire at the group through the open passenger-side window, the complaint said.

Later that day, officers stopped the SUV and arrested Larringa-Herrera, who was driving the vehicle.