Man allegedly threatened homeless pair, bar employee by firing gun days apart in Albuquerque

Nov. 18—Albuquerque police say a man twice threatened people by firing a gun either at them or in the air in separate incidents over a 48-hour period.

Brandon Hovey, 41, is charged with two counts each of aggravated assault and negligent use of a deadly weapon and one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

Hovey was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on Nov. 11.

Court records show Hovey has been convicted of robbery three times in Texas, where he is listed as residing.

Prosecutors have filed motions to keep him behind bars until trial, citing the incidents that happened two days apart.

"He appears to be a walking bombshell, and he appears to have found his detonator: a firearm," according to one of the motions.

Hovey's attorney could not be reached for comment Saturday.

On Nov. 8, officers responded around 3:30 p.m. to the 13400 block of Fruit NE, near Lomas and Tramway, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. Two brothers told police they were homeless and "just going through the trash" when a man walked out of an apartment with a gun.

The brothers said they apologized to the man, told him they were leaving, and said, "You don't need to shoot your gun," according to police. The brothers said the man then fired two rounds at their feet before going back inside an apartment.

Police said video from a nearby camera showed the man yell at the brothers and fire a gun at them twice as they walked away. The brothers told police they were walking with their mother later in the day and the man drove by "laughing at them" and they "all began to run away out of fear."

Police collected shell casings from the scene and knocked on the apartment door, but no one answered, according to the complaint.

Hovey wouldn't be identified as a suspect until two days later.

On Nov. 10, around 9 p.m., officers responded to reports of gunfire at the Quarter Celtic Taproom on Juan Tabo NE, north of Indian School, according to a separate criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. An employee told police they asked a man who became "verbally aggressive" to leave.

The employee told police that staff escorted the man outside and he got a gun from his car, pointed it at them, and asked, "Do you want any of this?" according to police.

Police said the employee told them the man then hit him in the stomach with the gun. The employee said the man then fired four rounds into the air and left.

A few hours later, the officer spotted the suspect, identified as Hovey, walking down Juan Tabo and arrested him, according to the complaint. The gun was not found on Hovey.

After that incident, according to police, Hovey was tied to the assault two days earlier. Police learned Hovey was staying with his cousin, who lived at the apartment.

Police said they showed one of the brothers a photo lineup and he picked Hovey out as the man who fired a gun at them days earlier.