Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
CLOVIS — A 26-year-old Clovis man is in custody, charged with an open count of murder following a Thursday night shooting at a home on North Lea Street.
Johnny Rae Vigil is accused of killing Jahmall Burge with a handgun owned by Burge.
The incident happened about 6:45 p.m. Thursday.
Vigil was arrested about 7 a.m. Friday at a residence on West 10th Street in Clovis, police said.
Police on Thursday night issued a statement reporting Vigil was a “person of interest” in connection with the case.
A criminal complaint filed Friday morning alleges:
• Mary Jane Ramirez, who lives at the residence, told police she called Burge, her caregiver for 10 years, and asked him to come to her house about 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
• Before Burge arrived, Vigil came to the house. Ramirez told police she has known Vigil for about 11 years and that he’d grown up with her sons.
• When Burge arrived, he asked Ramirez if he could bring his handgun into the house because he did not like to leave it in his vehicle.
• Burge placed the gun on the table in the kitchen.
• About an hour after the men arrived, Ramirez said she saw Burge stand up and say, “Put that down.” She then heard four gunshots and saw Burge fall.
• Ramirez said she saw Vigil with the gun and she ran to the bathroom and closed the door. When she looked out later she saw Vigil leave the house. Burge was on the floor bleeding.
The criminal complaint reported Burge was shot multiple times. A Springfield 9mm handgun was located near Burge’s body.
Court records show Vigil has a history of criminal convictions. He was released from the Curry County jail at 3:44 p.m. on Thursday, records show, after serving time for battery against a household member, multiple probation violations, and resisting, evading or obstructing an officer, in addition to other incidents.
Vigil was in jail on the murder charge Friday afternoon without bond.
Details about how Vigil was arrested were not released, but police said in a news release that they were dispatched to a residence in the 500 block of West 10th Street in Clovis where Vigil was contacted and taken into custody without incident.
