In the early morning hours of Valentine's Day in 2023, a confrontation inside an Albuquerque, New Mexico, home turned deadly, leaving 74-year-old Hispanic male Eddie Salazar dead from a gunshot wound. The subsequent investigation would unravel a tragic story of family conflict and drug use, culminating in the arrest of his own son.
Shortly after 6 a.m. on February 14, police received a distressed 911 call from Giovanni Salazar, Eddie's son.
Giovanni initially claimed that he had accidentally shot his father in the hip during a heated argument at his father's residence on Hillspire Ave., N.W. He told the dispatcher the gun went off after his father threw something at him. When officers arrived, they found Eddie Salazar deceased on the ground, surrounded by blood. Giovanni, who was also covered in blood, was taken into custody for questioning.
As homicide detectives delved deeper into the case, Giovanni's account of an accidental shooting began to fall apart. Investigators determined that there was a significant distance between father and son when the fatal shot was fired. Evidence suggested that during a pause in their argument, Giovanni had intentionally retrieved his handgun from its holster to confront his father. The investigation revealed that Giovanni could have de-escalated the situation but instead chose to introduce a firearm. The shooting occurred while Giovanni's two young sons, both under the age of 10, were inside the home.
During questioning, Giovanni Salazar admitted to having used methamphetamine and had not slept for more than a day prior to the incident. He was subsequently arrested and booked into the Metro Detention Center on an open count of murder and child abuse. In April 2024, Giovanni Salazar accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter. This plea agreement capped his potential sentence, and in May 2024, he was sentenced to five years in prison for killing his father.
