Court Ordered GPS Ankle Monitor Does NOT Stop Felon from Killing Man, Man Charged in Shooting Near Smoke Shop

Albuquerque –

Albuquerque police have arrested a 36-year-old Charles Alexander Richards on an open count of murder following a late-night shooting on Central Avenue that investigators say stemmed from a dispute over a monetary debt.

According to a criminal complaint filed by Albuquerque Police Department Detective Moenaert, the incident began unfolding on the night of July 20, 2026. ShotSpotter registered three rounds fired near the scene at approximately 9:55 PM. Emergency dispatchers notified homicide detectives after a man was found dead in the roadway near Central Ave and Indiana St SE, suffering from gunshot wounds.

An autopsy conducted by the Office of the Medical Investigator revealed the victim, who had not been identified by police, sustained two gunshot wounds, one to the head and another to his left hip.

Homicide investigators reviewed extensive surveillance footage from the Smoke City smoke shop located at 6900 Central Ave SE. The video and accompanying audio revealed a tense confrontation between Richards and the victim roughly 30 minutes before the fatal shooting. Footage from 9:34 PM showed Richards chasing the man down a sidewalk while brandishing a handgun. During the pursuit, the victim can be heard yelling, “I’ll get your money!” and pleading that a third party had the missing cash for the suspect. The complaint states that the victim was also heard yelling, “He has the money, he has the money! I promise you; he has the cash for you!”

The chase led both Richards and the victim to the Smoke City smoke shop, where the victim attempted to hide inside. Video footage outside the shop showed Richards waiting for the victim to leave for approximately 30 minutes. During this time, Richards engaged in separate conversations with several individuals. Investigators noted Richards was identifiable by distinctive features, including glasses, a black “Oklahoma” basketball jersey with the number 2, and a spider-web tattoo with an eye located on the left side of his neck.

Around 9:52 PM, the group of men who had been conversing with Richards, both together, and separately, began to gather as a group outside the smoke shop storefront before moving inside. Witnesses and interior camera footage captured the group surrounding the victim, accusing him of stealing $900 dollars and that the victim “disappeared for a whole two weeks.” The complaint says the victim can then be heard saying, “They burned me.”

The men then physically pushed the resistant victim toward the smoke shop exit against his will.

When the victim fled northward from the store around 9:55 PM, Richards pursued them, drawing his firearm. Seconds later, ShotSpotter audio recorded the gunfire that killed the victim.

Surveillance video subsequently showed Richards and the group walking back toward the smoke shop, with Richards tucking the firearm into his waistband before calmly walking away westbound on Central Ave.

APD detectives linked Richards to the crime by analyzing surveillance stills, previous booking photos, and descriptions of tattoos from prior arrest encounters and booking paperwork. Furthermore, according to the criminal complaint, because Richards was wearing a court-ordered GPS ankle monitor while on supervised probation, parole data corroborated his movements. The criminal complaint also notes that historical location data and tracking placed Richards at the corner of Central Ave and Indiana St SE from 9:33 PM to 9:56 PM, and tracked his ankle monitor moving west toward Florida St immediately after the shots were fired.

Richards was taken into custody late on Tuesday and booked into the Metro Detention Center early on Wednesday morning. Court records show he faces multiple charges, including an open count of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted robbery, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and tampering with evidence.