New Mexico Man Accused of Attacking Cousin Amid Argument About Who Had Spicier Enchiladas

A man in New Mexico was arrested after an argument with his cousin over who had spicier enchiladas escalated into a fist fight and a fatal shooting.

Ervin Joaquin Gutierrez was charged with one open count of murder in the August 27 shooting of Nathaniel Cavazoz. He is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center. According to NBC News, the Albuquerque Police Department responded to a shooting around 11 p.m. and found the victim unresponsive in a pool of blood. They interviewed another cousin who said they witnessed the shooting.

Police allege that Gutierrez arrived earlier in the night and the three cousins went to get groceries to make green enchiladas. They drank alcohol while they cooked and Gutierrez and Cavazos began arguing after the former claimed the chile on his enchiladas was hotter than the ones on the latter’s plate. Cavazos argued that they were all made with the same chile, so they should be equally hot.

As the argument escalated, the witness says Cavazos punched Gutierrez, which started a fist fight that left Gutierrez bleeding. As Cavazos began walking away, Gutierrez is said to have pulled out a handgun and confronted him from about 10 feet away before firing three or four times, hitting Cavazos in the back at least once.

The witness reportedly showed investigators a Snapchat message in which Gutierrez alleged Cavazos threatened him.

“Is he really dead?” Gutierrez allegedly wrote, per NBC News. “I did not want to kill him but i didn’t want him to kill me.”

Gutierrez is scheduled to appear in court on September 4.