In the late hours of a Thursday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a dispute in the parking lot of a Blake's Lotaburger on Rio Grande Boulevard near Interstate 40 escalated to a fatal conclusion for 46-year-old Edward Nicholas. The man, a male, became involved in a confrontation with a restaurant employee, 21-year-old Christian Elycio, on June 26, 2025.
Following the initial argument, the two men separated.
Witnesses reported that Elycio's uncle, a manager at the Blake's Lotaburger, went outside to instruct Nicholas to leave the premises. The situation took a deadly turn when the uncle claimed he saw Nicholas reaching into a backpack. This prompted Elycio to emerge from the restaurant and open fire on Nicholas.
Surveillance footage of the incident captured Nicholas beginning to walk away as Elycio approached him. Despite this, Elycio discharged his firearm multiple times. After Nicholas collapsed to the ground, Elycio reportedly moved closer and fired additional rounds into him. A subsequent examination by the medical examiner revealed that Nicholas had sustained 10 gunshot wounds.
Albuquerque Police Department homicide detectives quickly identified Christian Elycio as the suspect. He was arrested and charged with an open count of murder. Following his arrest, Elycio was booked into the Metro Detention Center. The investigation into the deadly encounter is ongoing.
