Man fatally shot in New Mexico movie theatre over seat dispute

Enrique Padilla, 19, accused of opening fire on Michael Tenorio after he found the victim and his wife sat in seats

Movie-goers evacuate the Century Rio movie theater as officers respond to a shooting at the theater located at 4901 Pan American freeway in northeast Albuquerque, N.M., on Sunday, June 25, 2023. (AP)

A man was shot dead after an argument over seating at a cinema in New Mexico that saw moviegoers fleeing for safety.

Enrique Padilla, 19, is accused of opening fire on Michael Tenorio after he found the victim and his wife sat in seats he had bought for himself and his girlfriend.

Police say that the staff at the cinema in Albuquerque tried to resolve the issue at the screening of No Hard Feelings but that the situation escalated with shoving, a thrown bucket of popcorn and then gunfire.

Tenorio, 52, was shot and his wife told investigators that he had been unarmed, according to the Associated Press.

An off-duty police officer who was there tried to perform life-saving measures on Tenorio, but he died at the scene as a result of his wounds.

The suspect fled the scene and was found hiding behind a bush outside the emergency exit, say police.

“There was a sense of chaos here,” police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said at the scene, the Albuquerque Journal reported. “A lot of people were running from the theaters and trying to get out of the way.”

Investigators found a gun outside the cinema that was compatible with casings from rounds shot during the incident.

Emergency dispatchers received about 20 calls as other people fled the Century Rio cinema in the northeast part of the city.

Mr Padilla was taken to hospital under armed guard and, according to a criminal complaint, was treated for an abdomen wound.

The criminal complaint and arrest warrant contains counts of homicide, shooting at an occupied building and tampering with evidence.