Police: Clovis man on job at time of stabbing

Freedom New Mexico

A Clovis man charged in a stabbing Saturday at Wal-Mart was working at the time of the altercation.

Police said the incident was part of an ongoing feud.

Guadalupe Murillo, 28, charged with aggravated battery, is being held at the county jail on $20,000 bond, jail officials said.

Carlos Lopez, 26, was stabbed just before 8 p.m. and transported to Plains Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening wounds, police have said.

According the police incident report, Murillo and another unidentified male employee confronted Lopez while he was shopping in the store with his family.

Lopez’ brother-in-law, Celestino Owen, told police a "fool" started “talking crap” and tried to get Lopez to go outside with him to fight, then pulled a knife, pushed Lopez and started stabbing him, the report said.

The report shows Owen told police when he tried to stop the suspect, the other male employee hit him and Murillo swung the knife, cutting him. The report also says Owen declined to reveal the name of the person who stabbed him.

The officer who took Murillo into custody at the scene noted he heard Murillo telling a group of employees, “I stabbed him,” and he found a folding knife in Murillo’s pocket with blood on its blade.

Police have said the incident was a bleedover from a prior altercation between groups tied to Murillo and Lopez.

During a similar incident at the city’s July 4 fireworks, police said Lopez was stabbed; however no charges were filed because Lopez refused to cooperate with investigators.

Investigators are working to identify the other man involved in Saturday’s altercation, according to the report.

Clovis’ Wal-Mart management directed calls for comment to corporate headquarters.

Efforts to reach a corporate spokesperson were unsuccessful.