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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Bernalillo County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested a driver for Santa Fe Tow company who is suspected of shooting and killing a man who stole a shovel from the company’s North Valley property Monday night.

Orlando Astorga, 44, is charged with murder. He was booked into the county jail.

When reached by phone Tuesday, an employee for Santa Fe Tow told the Journal the owner couldn’t comment, saying, “We’re running a business and don’t have time for any of that.”

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According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court, shortly before 9 p.m. a woman called 911 to report her boyfriend, Jasen Mulvaney, had been shot in the chest. She said they were at Alameda and Fourth NW.

Mulvaney was taken to the hospital, where he died. A BCSO spokeswoman could not provide his age.

When detectives interviewed the woman she told them she and Mulvaney were at a property that was under construction near Jacs and El Pueblo NE – east of Edith – and had taken a shovel and put it into their Ford Expedition. She said shortly after that a man in a brown Honda arrived and blocked the entrance.

“Jasen drove away from the property, driving over a curb in order to get around the brown Honda,” the detective wrote in the complaint. “As Jasen continued to drive away (the woman) heard a single gunshot, after which Jasen stated he had been shot.”

She said Mulvaney was able to drive about two miles to Alameda with the shooter in pursuit.

Detectives went to the property off El Pueblo – Santa Fe Tow – and found broken glass in the driveway. They talked with a witness who said an employee had told him he had exchanged gunfire with someone in a white Ford Expedition.

A detective then visited the business and the employee, Astorga, agreed to an interview. He told them he had seen the SUV enter the property and called the business owner to ask if it should be there. The owner asked him to go check it out.

“Astorga drove to the property where he parked in front of the driveway,” the detective wrote in the complaint. “Upon exiting his vehicle, Astorga observed two subjects quickly run back to the Expedition. The driver of the Expedition then drove towards Astorga. Astorga said he was forced to jump out of the way of the oncoming Expedition as the driver veered the vehicle onto the sidewalk.”

He said he heard a loud “boom” that he thought was gunfire and thought the Expedition was reversing toward him so he opened fire, shooting a single gunshot into the vehicle.

Astorga said he followed the Expedition “a short distance,” then returned to the property. He said he told the business owner about the situation and they decided not to contact law enforcement. He said they believed the incident was over, since the vehicle hadn’t returned.

The owner of Santa Fe Tow told detectives he didn’t initially believe Astorga about shooting at the vehicle and he didn’t think the incident had to be reported.