Police arrest suspect in Monday homicide

Police on Monday night arrested a 21-year-old man and charged him with second-degree murder in connection with Monday morning's homicide at the Clovis Apartments.

Patrick Quinones "was identified as a shooter in this homicide," according to a news release issued Tuesday by Clovis Police Capt. Robbie Telles.

"The Garza County Sheriff's Office located Quinones (in) Post, Texas ... where he was arrested and charged," the release stated.

"Quinones was in the company of Tamar Johnson, who was also being sought as a possible witness to this incident."

Officials said other witnesses are also being sought to provide details about the shooting that left Mathew Nelson, 22, dead.

Telles said Quinones remained in the custody of Post authorities on Tuesday morning.

Police on Monday named three "persons of interest" they wanted to interview in connection with Nelson's death. Those included Johnson along with Israel Barela and Dante Gooden.

Telles said Tuesday police have talked with Johnson but are still looking for Barela and Gooden. Telles and District Attorney Quentin Ray said Johnson had not been charged as of Tuesday morning.

An affidavit for arrest warrant filed Tuesday in Clovis' Magistrate Court shows the shooting occurred during a fight at the Clovis Apartments, 1000 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Police were called about 1 a.m. Monday following a report of gunshots in the area.

Officers found Nelson suffering from gunshot wounds. Life-saving measures were attempted before Nelson was transported to Plains Regional Medical Center where he died from his injuries.

Witnesses told police a man named Nova, later identified as Quinones, "knocked out" Gooden "and continued to keep hitting him."

While Quinones was hitting Gooden, Nelson attempted to break up the fight, court records show.

"...(T)hat was when Nova shot at Mathew," the records show. "Nova also began to shoot at or around a crowd due to 'being afraid of being jumped.'"

Police located Quinones and Johnson at a Best Western motel in Post with assistance from officials at Cannon Air Force Base. Quinones, according to the arrest affidavit, was contacted by a sergeant at Cannon who "told him to report to duty on Tuesday. Patrick responded he was afraid to return to Clovis due to an incident that happened that morning."

Telles said the military then assisted Clovis police in locating Quinones.

A statement from Cannon issued Tuesday reads:

"We can confirm that A1C Patrick U. Quinones II is assigned to the 27th Special Operations Munitions Squadron as a Munitions Stockpile Management Technician at Cannon Air Force Base."

The statement also read that Cannon authorities are cooperating with local authorities in connection with the homicide investigation.

The affidavit for arrest alleges Quinones killed Nelson "in a heat of passion or sudden quarrel during the fight after being pushed which ultimately resulted in the death of Mathew."

Monday's shooting was Clovis' third homicide of 2023.

The city's first homicide of the year happened Jan. 1. Prosecutors soon dropped a murder charge against a Littlefield, Texas, man after security cameras bore out Ian Michael Downs' claims of self-defense in the shooting death of Oscar Trujillo, 28.

A 68-year-old woman was stabbed to death at Love's Travel Center in Clovis on Jan. 18. Roxie Edwards' husband, Lloyd Edwards, was charged with killing her.

Online records show Lloyd Edwards remained in the Curry County Adult Detention Center on Tuesday without bond.