A New Mexico man who was found hiding behind a bush after gunning down a father of four in a dispute over movie theater seats is expected to be sentenced Wednesday.
Enrique Padilla, who was 19 at the time of the shooting in June 2023, has plead no contest to second-degree murder and third-degree tampering with evidence charges related to the shooting death of 52-year-old Michael Tenorio, according to KOB-4.
The shooting occurred in Albuquerque at the Century Rio 24 movie theater during a screening of the comedy "No Hard Feelings." A witness told KOAT-7 that an argument over seats preceded the gunfire.
"We got to the theater around 8:50. After previews ended, we took our seats. We were actually in the wrong seats and that's what we heard the dispute was about, which is kind of scary. Right after probably the second preview ended, we heard a bunch of rapid fire from a semi-automatic weapon," the woman who asked the station for anonymity said. "There were probably about four or five shots all in one group. It kind of sounded more like fireworks were going off, just like a 'Pop, pop, pop.' We looked up, and the whole room was filled with smoke."
The woman told the station that she and her friend had quickly fled the theater. Outside, they saw a man bleeding and asking for help.
"There was a young man bleeding out in front of us. He was crying for help. We tried to get him to come hide in the bushes with us, but he just kept asking us to call 911. We didn't have our phone, keys, wallet or anything, so we could help him. We dropped everything," the woman told the station.
Police told the station that Padilla was later captured outside, hiding in a bush, with a gunshot wound. Among other details shared by police with KOAT-7 was that Padilla threw a bucket of popcorn at the couple and Tenorio pushed him against a wall before the shooting. Also, Padilla's girlfriend fought with Tenorio's wife before fleeing the theater.
NBC News reported that police were unsure how Padilla was wounded, although police found eight shell casings inside the theater. Tenorio and his wife were unarmed. Police found a gun near where Padilla was hiding.
Padilla faces 20 years in the New Mexico Department of Corrections, KOB-4 reported.
