Featured Image Credit: Albuquerque Police Department/Sony
Topics: Crime, Film and TV, Gun Crime, US News, Jennifer Lawrence
Callum Jones
Topics: Crime, Film and TV, Gun Crime, US News, Jennifer Lawrence
A film lover has been shot dead at the screening of Jennifer Lawrence's new movie No Hard Feelings.
The tragic incident took place during a screening of the r-rated sex comedy in New Mexico on Sunday (25 June).
Michael Tenorio, 52, was shot and killed by 19-year-old Enrique Padilla at a cinema next to an interstate highway in Albuquerque, New Mexico over the weekend.
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Witnesses have since told police that a young man later identified as Padilla arrived at the cinema with his girlfriend to watch No Hard Feelings.
However, he found another couple in at least one of his seats for the Jennifer Lawrence film.
Tenorio and his wife Trina had purchased two tickets for the screening, but they were not able to get two seats next to each other.
The couple had hoped the people in those seats would move down the aisle so they could sit together, with staff at the cinema indicating that would likely not be a problem.
However, Padilla had no plans on budging, despite cinema staff trying to resolve the situation.
It escalated to the point where Padilla stood up and hurled a bucket of popcorn at Mrs Tenorio.
Mr Tenorio then shoved Padilla, which resulted in the teen pulling out a gun and shooting, according to police.
Mr Tenorio was shot and died at the scene, police have said, while his wife was unharmed.
Authorities say that Padilla instantly ran off from the scene, with his girlfriend fighting with Mrs Tenorio before she fled the scene too.
Later on, police found a wounded Padilla hiding in a bush behind an emergency exit, seemingly wounded by his own weapon, while a gun was also found outside that matched spent casings from the shooting.
Padilla was at hospital as of Monday (26 June) evening for treatment on a gun wound.
He is under guard at the New Mexico health centre after charges were filled against him in connection with the shooting.
Police received around 20 calls after the shooting, with spokesman Gilbert Gallegos telling KOB4 there was 'understandably a lot of chaos'.
A criminal complaint and arrest warrant against Padilla has listed counts of homicide, shooting at an occupied building and tampering with evidence.
An off-duty officer was at the screening, and administered emergency aid to Tenorio.
The officer witnessed the confrontation, but did not see the weapon in the dark cinema. He says he saw a rapid-fire series of gunshots before one of the men ran away.