Man Charged Following Fatal Shooting at West Side Apartment Complex

Albuquerque –

Albuquerque Police Department homicide detectives have charged Markel Pinto in the killing of Nico Taylor after a dispute at a West Side apartment complex.

Pinto, 30, turned himself in to officers today and admitted to fatally shooting Taylor, 35.

Officers responded to a report of a shooting at about 11:30 PM on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at the Volcanes Commons apartment complex, 6901 Glenrio Road NW. They found Taylor on the ground outside an apartment with a gunshot wound to the torso. Officers provided first aid, but Taylor died from the injury.

Surveillance video from a nearby apartment showed Pinto walking aggressively with a handgun toward the area of the complex where Taylor’s body was found, according to investigators. The video also showed Pinto yelling in the direction of the area where the victim was located, per the criminal complaint.

Pinto later contacted police to report his involvement in the shooting. Detectives interviewed Pinto on Monday, July 20th in the afternoon. Pinto claimed he shot Taylor in self-defense, but investigators said Pinto acknowledged Taylor did not have a weapon and that his statements were inconsistent with the surveillance video.

Pinto told detectives that he and Taylor, who lived in separate apartments at the complex, had been spending time together and went to buy marijuana before the shooting. Pinto said the two men, who were both Native American, got into an argument over their differing perspectives on Native American culture.

Detectives found the handgun used in the fatal shooting at Pinto’s apartment.

Albuquerque Police Department Public Information Officer Gilbert Gallegos said Pinto is charged with an open count of murder and tampering with evidence. Pinto will be booked into the Metro Detention Center.

The shooting marks the third homicide call out handled by APD homicide detectives and crime scene investigators in approximately 23 hours, between 11:30 PM on Sunday, July 19, and about 10 PM on Monday, July 20.