A Pueblo man charged with first-degree murder in connection with a June shooting was identified largely through surveillance camera footage, according to a Pueblo police affidavit.
David Frank Martinez, 62, is charged with murder in the death of Elaine Masias in a shooting at the Veteran’s Tavern on Northern Avenue on June 28.
Police responded to the tavern after Masias and another victim were struck by gunfire. Masias was fatally shot in the chest and the other victim was struck by a bullet in one hand.
According to the affidavit, police found several spent .45 caliber bullets inside the bar and at least nine cartridge cases of the same caliber in the alley outside.
Based on the trajectory of the bullets and the location where the cartridge cases were found, police assumed that the suspect had fired from a nearby alley over the wall surrounding the property.
Surveillance camera footage from nearby businesses showed a white truck, later identified as Martinez’s property, approaching the alley from which the shots were fired.
In the footage, a male figure with short hair can be seen walking south through the alley from Mesa Avenue and then disappearing from view. Gunshots can be heard on a security camera and the same male suspect can later be seen walking north through the alley and driving away in the truck.
According to the affidavit, police found the man had a slight limp and was walking with “intentionally flat-footed steps.”
A camera captured the license plate of the vehicle, which was registered to Martinez. The same truck was later found and impounded by police.
During their investigation, police learned that a regular customer at the bar who was not one of the shooting victims had recently lived at Martinez’s address. During an interview with the regular customer, the woman explained that she had separated from Martinez three weeks before the shooting after a two-and-a-half-year relationship. However, she said she did not believe Martinez owned a gun and did not know he was violent.
Police executed a search warrant on Martinez’s residence and seized a .45 caliber handgun and the suspected Ford F-250 truck seen on surveillance footage. Martinez was arrested and taken to the police station for questioning. During questioning, Martinez admitted that he was the sole owner of the vehicle, the affidavit states.
Police write that Martinez’s explanation of the night’s events “does not match the known facts” and that Martinez has no valid explanation for why his vehicle was seen on surveillance video approaching and leaving the scene.
Martinez denied involvement in the shooting, although police said in the affidavit that he could not explain where he went when he got out of the vehicle. According to the affidavit, he said he “probably” parked near the Do Drop Inn to get pizza, but surveillance footage did not show him entering the restaurant that night.
Police noted that Martinez’s gait was consistent with the slight limp and altered gait seen on the security camera footage, which Martinez stated was due to a previous stroke and aneurysm.
Also recovered from the truck, according to the affidavit, was a black hoodie that matched the clothing the suspect was wearing the night of the shooting.
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