Josiah Armijo Charged With Murder in Spirit Halloween Shooting

Josiah Armijo, a 25-year-old armed private security guard, is charged with second-degree murder in the Spirit Halloween shooting that killed 41-year-old Chase Beltramo outside an Albuquerque store on October 16, 2025. Beltramo was unarmed and suspected of shoplifting less than $90 in merchandise. Investigators concluded Armijo had the authority to detain him but no legal basis to use deadly force.¹

What Happened Outside the Store

The shooting took place at a Spirit Halloween in a shopping complex at Carlisle Boulevard and Indian School Road in northeast Albuquerque, in a space that had formerly housed a Whole Foods.² According to the criminal complaint, Beltramo gathered items off the shelves and tried to leave without paying. The total was under $90, which is misdemeanor shoplifting under New Mexico law.³ Employees tried to recover the merchandise, and Beltramo pushed one of them.⁴

Armijo, on duty for New Mexico Security Services at the shopping complex, then intervened. He chased Beltramo out of the store and tackled him into a steel pole. Video showed Armijo on top of Beltramo, punching him, then drawing his firearm and pointing it at his face. He threatened to shoot if Beltramo moved, and used pepper spray during the struggle.³²

As the two fought on the ground, Beltramo ended up on top of Armijo. Armijo fired three shots. Two hit Beltramo, one in the upper left torso and one in the left buttocks. He died before police arrived. Investigators confirmed Beltramo was unarmed throughout the encounter and never threatened Armijo.³¹

What the Video Captured

Armijo was wearing a body camera. It recorded him running Beltramo down, striking him, and deploying pepper spray from behind. The audio captured him cursing at Beltramo and threatening to shoot. After the gunshots, Beltramo can be heard saying, “You got me, you shot me.”⁵

The same camera recorded Armijo calling out, “Shots fired! Officer needs help!” and then asking bystanders to help Beltramo. Footage showed him hyperventilating and crying afterward.⁶⁷⁴ Detectives worked with the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office to review this footage, and the review supported the arrest.

The Charge and Release Conditions

Armijo was detained at the scene and charged with second-degree murder. Under New Mexico’s sentencing guidelines, a second-degree felony resulting in death carries a basic sentence of eighteen years in prison and a potential fine of up to $12,500.⁸

At his first court appearance on October 18, 2025, Judge Andrea Gunderson released Armijo on his own recognizance. He was ordered to stay at home between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. and barred from working as an armed security guard while the case is pending.¹⁵ His next hearing was set for mid-November 2025. The case had not gone to trial as of the most recent reporting.

Why Prosecutors Said the Shooting Wasn’t Justified

New Mexico’s justifiable homicide statute, Section 30-2-7, allows a citizen to use deadly force only in narrow situations: when reasonably necessary to defend against an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm, or to prevent a felony involving force or a deadly weapon. The statute does not carve out a separate standard for private security guards. Case law also blocks a self-defense claim by someone who provokes the confrontation or uses excessive force, and the state’s no-duty-to-retreat protection does not extend to an initial aggressor.⁹

Investigators applied that framework and found Armijo’s life was not in imminent danger. Beltramo was unarmed and made no threat. The underlying offense was misdemeanor shoplifting under $90, not a violent felony, and deadly force to stop a minor theft falls outside the statute. Evidence also indicated Armijo escalated the encounter himself, by chasing, tackling, striking, pepper-spraying, and pointing a gun at an unarmed man before firing.¹³

KOAT legal expert John Day said the video showed Armijo “basically amped up this battle on the ground,” turning a misdemeanor shoplifting call into a homicide. Brent O’Bryan of Allied Universal, a major security firm, said the industry standard is that deadly force is authorized to protect people, not property, and nothing in the encounter suggested Beltramo threatened Armijo’s life.¹

A Prior Battery Charge From September 2025

The Spirit Halloween case was not Armijo’s first criminal charge tied to his work. KRQE reported he already had a pending misdemeanor battery charge from a September 2025 incident at a Dollar Tree store on 98th Street in Albuquerque. According to that complaint, Armijo approached a man on the property, told him to leave, and “chest bumped” him. The battery charge was still open when the fatal shooting occurred.⁴

Spirit Halloween’s Response

Spirit Halloween told KOAT it was “deeply saddened by the tragic incident” and that its thoughts were “with the individual’s family and all those affected.” The company said it was cooperating with local law enforcement, and the store where the shooting happened was closed indefinitely.¹

1
KOAT. Private Security Guard Charged With Murder in Spirit Halloween Shooting
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KOB 4. Albuquerque Police Investigating Shooting With Security Guard
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Law & Crime. Spirit Halloween Security Guard Kills Man Suspected of Stealing Items Worth Less Than $90
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KRQE. Security Guard Charged With Killing Man at Spirit Halloween Facing Charge for Separate Incident
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KOB 4. What Lapel Video Reveals From the Spirit Halloween Shooting
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Yahoo News. Video Security Guard Shoots Man
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KOAT. APD Investigates Fatal Shooting at Spirit Halloween
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New Mexico Legislature. Senate Bill 96 – Section 31-18-15
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Justia. New Mexico Statutes Section 30-2-7 – Justifiable Homicide by Citizen