Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s deputies are still sorting out exactly what happened in a shooting between two brothers Monday that landed one in the hospital on life support, according to that agency.
Ben Archibuque, 26, of Los Brazos, was shot three times in the back, shoulder and leg Monday night, and was airlifted to St. Vincent Hospital in Santa Fe, Det. Wayne Salazar said Tuesday. As of Tuesday evening, Archibuque was in stable condition after surgery, but was being maintained on life support, Salazar said.
Archibuque’s older brother, Dominic Archibuque, 27, is believed to be the shooter, Salazar said. The brothers live in their parents’ Los Brazos home, Salazar said. Dominic Archibuque was located 12 hours after the shooting, still at the house where the incident is believed to have taken place — with an as yet untreated gunshot wound to his left hand, Salazar said.
Dominic Archibuque was treated at Española Hospital and released pending further investigation. After claiming at first not to remember what happened during the alcohol-fueled dispute, Dominic Archibuque later told investigators that a verbal argument between him and his brother escalated into a shooting, Salazar said.
“He said abruptly gunfire started, but didn’t specify if he shot or Ben shot, just a gun was brought in to the incident,” Salazar said.
Dominic Archibuque’s wound almost cost him his thumb, Salazar said. The two brothers had been arguing for the past several months, according to what Dominic Archibuque told Salazar. The Sheriff’s department has not yet been able to interview Ben Archibuque, because of his injuries, and the investigation was also slowed by the fact that most of the family is in Santa Fe with Ben Archibuque at the hospital, Salazar said. No arrests had been made as of Tuesday.
Interviews with members of the community Tuesday helped narrow the investigation to Dominic Archubuque before he was located, Salazar said.
Multiple small-caliber weapons and empty casings were recovered from the scene, and could be consistent with both men’s injuries, Salazar said. Ballistics testing will be completed over the next few weeks.
No charges had been filed and no arrests had been made in the case as of Tuesday night.