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Shooting Suspect Says He Was Abused, By Sean Olson, Copyright © 2008 Albuquerque Journal
Eddie J. Barela, the-84-year-old charged in the shooting death of an Albuquerque man at a Saturday barbecue, told police he wanted to kill the man and a woman who were part of a conspiracy against him, according to a criminal complaint.
His male victim is dead. He shot another woman by mistake because of his poor eyesight.
“They were pissing me off and abusing me and that's why I shot them,” Barela told an Albuquerque police officer at the time of his arrest, according to the complaint.
He paid for the gun with his economic stimulus check, Barela told police.
The shooting occurred about 12:30 p.m. in an enclosed courtyard at an apartment complex for people with mental health disabilities near the corner of Washington and Central NE.
Barela shot a man in his 50s, whose identity had not been released by APD, once in the chest, according to the criminal complaint. The man died at the scene.
Barela also opened fire on others at the barbecue, hitting Debra Oracion in her left thigh and scattering bullets all over the apartment complex's enclosed courtyard. Barela fired once at police in a nearby alley before he dropped his gun and surrendered, the complaint states. Oracion was not a resident, but a friend of the intended female victim.
Barela had lived in the complex for about 12 years and was an “unassuming little elderly man,” Mark Allison said Saturday. Allison is the executive director of the Albuquerque Mental Health Housing Coalition, which owns and manages the apartments.
Allison did not return messages Sunday.
In an interview with police after the shooting, Barela described a crime he had been contemplating for at least a month, according to the complaint Barela told police:
He bought a silver handgun June 4 with the intention of killing the male victim and another woman, both of whom he accused of “abusing” him. Barela believed all of the apartment complex residents were conspiring against him, but he had singled out the pair with abuse claims dating back to 1998. The complaint does not elaborate on Barela's allegations.
He sold the gun later that month due to financial hardship, but retrieved it from a pawn shop with money from his economic stimulus check.
Barela walked out to the courtyard Saturday and shot the male victim in the chest after becoming upset because the barbecue was being held in the courtyard. He then shot Oracion in the leg, believing her to be the woman he had accused of abuse.
Barela had no history of violence and passed a mandatory background check before being allowed to live in the apartments, Allison said.
People with mental disorders are screened by gun dealers during a series of questions, but, due to privacy laws, dealers are not able to verify medical records if customers lie about their mental health.
Eddie J. Barela, the-84-year-old charged in the shooting death of an Albuquerque man at a Saturday barbecue, told police he wanted to kill the man and a woman who were part of a conspiracy against him, according to a criminal complaint.
His male victim is dead. He shot another woman by mistake because of his poor eyesight.
“They were pissing me off and abusing me and that's why I shot them,” Barela told an Albuquerque police officer at the time of his arrest, according to the complaint.
He paid for the gun with his economic stimulus check, Barela told police.
The shooting occurred about 12:30 p.m. in an enclosed courtyard at an apartment complex for people with mental health disabilities near the corner of Washington and Central NE.
Barela shot a man in his 50s, whose identity had not been released by APD, once in the chest, according to the criminal complaint. The man died at the scene.
Barela also opened fire on others at the barbecue, hitting Debra Oracion in her left thigh and scattering bullets all over the apartment complex's enclosed courtyard. Barela fired once at police in a nearby alley before he dropped his gun and surrendered, the complaint states. Oracion was not a resident, but a friend of the intended female victim.
Barela had lived in the complex for about 12 years and was an “unassuming little elderly man,” Mark Allison said Saturday. Allison is the executive director of the Albuquerque Mental Health Housing Coalition, which owns and manages the apartments.
Allison did not return messages Sunday.
In an interview with police after the shooting, Barela described a crime he had been contemplating for at least a month, according to the complaint Barela told police:
He bought a silver handgun June 4 with the intention of killing the male victim and another woman, both of whom he accused of “abusing” him. Barela believed all of the apartment complex residents were conspiring against him, but he had singled out the pair with abuse claims dating back to 1998. The complaint does not elaborate on Barela's allegations.
He sold the gun later that month due to financial hardship, but retrieved it from a pawn shop with money from his economic stimulus check.
Barela walked out to the courtyard Saturday and shot the male victim in the chest after becoming upset because the barbecue was being held in the courtyard. He then shot Oracion in the leg, believing her to be the woman he had accused of abuse.
Barela had no history of violence and passed a mandatory background check before being allowed to live in the apartments, Allison said.
People with mental disorders are screened by gun dealers during a series of questions, but, due to privacy laws, dealers are not able to verify medical records if customers lie about their mental health.
THey hate us for our freedoms.
