Man accused of gunning down ex-girlfriend's boyfriend in Northeast ABQ

A man was arrested after allegedly fatally shooting a man over a woman in Northeast Albuquerque on Thursday.

Jacob Bowers, 36, of Albuquerque, is charged with an open count of murder and tampering with evidence. He is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center.

At 6:46 p.m. Thursday, the Albuquerque Police Department received a call of a shooting in the 9300 block of Academy Hills, near Academy. During the call, dispatch said it was told “a gun accidentally discharged when it was dropped,” according to a criminal complaint filed at Metropolitan Court.

When officers arrived, they found Johnathan Layman lying in a garage with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was later pronounced dead, police said.

A witness told police he heard a shot come from the garage then saw three people get into a pickup and drive off, the complaint states. The witness told police he believed one of the people took the firearm that killed Layman, police said.

Layman’s pregnant girlfriend’s brother told police her ex-boyfriend — later identified as Bowers — was coming to pick her up that night, the complaint states. The brother told police Bowers and Layman had a history of fighting “because they both have romantic relationships” with her, police said.

The brother told police he was home when he heard a car pull up then a “firecracker” sound come from the garage, according to the complaint. He told police Bowers told him, “You better go get my gun,” the complaint states. The brother told police Bowers said, “I’m going to go to prison,” before leaving, police said.

The brother told police there was a revolver near Layman’s body, but “someone may have moved” it, the complaint states.

The girlfriend told police she told Layman that Bowers was going to pick her up at a friend’s house, police said. Layman told her he wanted one of his friends to drive her home, but she said no, according to the complaint.

After Bowers drove her home, Bowers and Layman started arguing and got “within an arm’s length of each other,” police said. She told police she then saw a “muzzle flash” between the two men before Bowers walked away, the complaint states.

She told police as she checked on Layman, she heard Bowers say, “It wasn’t me; the gun slipped and went off,” police said.

Police later found a revolver near Layman’s body, but it was fully loaded, according to the complaint. “Therefore, detectives believe the firearm that killed Johnathan had not been located at this time,” police said.

Police arrested Bowers on Friday after locating him using police databases, APD spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos said.