El Paso man arrested on murder charge accused of shooting man several times with AK-47

A dog peeing on a neighbor's lot sparked an argument Wednesday that ended with a man fatally shot multiple times with an AK-47 in Northeast El Paso, documents state.

Eduardo David Blanco, 28, was arrested on a murder charge, accused of fatally shooting 26-year-old Atravius Burkes in the 8900 block of Robert Drive in the Angel's Triangle neighborhood.

The shooting occurred about 2:45 a.m. Wednesday next to Blanco's home "after an argument escalated outside between Blanco’s residence and a neighboring property" where Burkes was located, a police news release states.

Burkes had a handgun and Blanco was armed with an AK-47 rifle. When the confrontation grew heated, Blanco allegedly shot Burkes several times, killing him, police said.

Gunshots in the Angel's Triangle

A criminal complaint affidavit filed by a police homicide detective states that more than an hour prior to the shooting, police received a call about Blanco allegedly being armed with a firearm.

At 1:09 a.m., police responded to a disturbance call after a neighbor reported Blanco had pointed a firearm at her daughter and her boyfriend, the affidavit states.

When patrol officers arrived, the couple was not at the scene and couldn't be reached and the "investigation did not proceed any further," the affidavit states.

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At 2:44 a.m., patrol officers on an unrelated call in the area heard multiple gunshots and 911 operators received several calls about a shooting on Robert Drive, the affidavit states. 

Patrol officers responding to the shooting arrived and found Burkes dead at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds, police said.

The affidavit states that Blanco also called 911, saying he had shot Burkes with an AK-47 in self-defense, alleging Burkes had fired a gunshot at him.

Officers learned Blanco was in a nearby home and ordered him to exit. He walked out and was taken into custody without incident, police said.

Affidavit: AK-47 shooter didn't know slain man

Blanco told police that he didn't even know Burkes, according to the affidavit.

Blanco told police that he and Burkes got into an argument after Blanco's dog had urinated on the neighboring property, the affidavit states.

According to the complaint, Blanco told police the argument escalated when Burkes began to urinate on Blanco's property. Both men were armed.

Blanco told police that Burkes had pointed and fired a gun at him and Blanco then shot him with the AK-47 rifle, the affidavit states.

The affidavit states that an investigation by crime-scene investigators and homicide detectives found Burkes and Blanco were on opposite sides of a chain-link fence during the argument, on neighboring properties.

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"Atravius (Burkes) did have a handgun in his hand however did not point it at the defendant nor shoot it," the affidavit states.

Burkes had the gun at his side, pulled up his pants and then Blanco began firing, the affidavit states.

Investigators noted in the complaint that Blanco allegedly fired three volleys at close range, including shooting Burkes multiple times after he already had been shot and had fallen on the ground.

After the shooting, Blanco allegedly pointed the rifle and threatened witnesses, detectives reported.

Investigators found several bullet casings from the rifle outside and located the rifle inside Blanco's home. No bullets or casings matching Burkes' gun were found at the scene, the document states.

Burkes' gun had been taken away by his girlfriend and was found inside a couch. The gun was not loaded, police stated in the affidavit.

Murder charge arrest

Blanco was booked into jail on a murder charge and an outstanding warrant on an assault-family violence incident in April, police said.

Blanco is being held under a total bond of $754,000 at the El Paso County Jail in Downtown.

Burkes was listed as residing in the 11000 block of Dyer Street.

The death is the 23rd murder in El Paso this year, compared with 22 at this time last year, which ended with a total of 25, police officials said. This year's homicide cases include a drunken-driving suspect, accused of going nearly 100 mph, who is charged with murder in a fatal two-car collision that killed another driver on Loop 375 on the night of Labor Day.

Daniel Borunda may be reached at 915-546-6102; dborunda@elpasotimes.com; @BorundaDaniel on Twitter.

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