The man who was shot and killed Tuesday in south-central Pueblo has been identified by the Pueblo County coroner as the father of the man who police arrested.

Police say the victim, James Michael Morrow, 64, was shot by his biological son, Nathaniel Morrow, 34, in a neighborhood near Central High School.

Pueblo police say this is the fifth homicide investigation this year, exposing two suspected murders unannounced to the public prior to an inquiry from The Pueblo Chieftain.

Officers were called to a home in the 200 block of Lake Avenue at approximately 2 p.m. Tuesday, where they found James Michael Morrow had been fatally shot in the living room of the home, according to police reports.

A man, who police later identified as Nathaniel Morrow, was found in an alley directly behind the home and was taken into custody on suspicion of first-degree murder.

Nathaniel Morrow was being held at the Pueblo County Detention Center.

James Morrow’s death marks the fifth homicide of 2019, all of which have taken place over the past 10 weeks, Pueblo police said.

The year’s first homicide took place on Feb. 22, when 29-year-old Christopher Sisneros was shot and killed in the Eastwood Heights neighborhood, allegedly by 19-year-old Devan Martinez, who was charged with first-degree murder after deliberation.

On Feb. 27, 29-year-old Travis Elifritz was gunned down outside of the McDonald's at Midtown Shopping Center. Police have not made any arrests in the case.

Also on Feb. 27, Fredrick Duran, 56, was severely beaten outside of a hotel in the 4000 block of North Elizabeth Street. Duran died one week later as a result of his injuries. A suspect was originally charged with third-degree assault in Duran's case. Final determination of charges has not yet been decided by the Tenth Judicial District Attorney's Office.

On April 1, 63-year-old Ernest Gallegos was severely beaten in the 500 block of East Evans Avenue. He died later as a result of his injuries. Police arrested Robert Moncivaiz, 49, who police say is Gallegos’ nephew, on suspicion of first-degree assault.

In both the Duran and Gallegos cases, police did not publicly announce the beatings because the victims died days after their assaults were reported. A final determination of charges would be made by the Tenth Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

Bravo said that this year’s total number of homicides — five — appears to be typical for what Pueblo sees on any given year.

“We do average about one per month,” Bravo said. “You can never really predict when a homicide is going to happen.”

zhillstrom@chieftain.com

Twitter: @ZachHillstrom