A family is mourning the loss of a loved one, a good Samaritan, who became another victim of gun violence.
Michael Urioste was shot and killed on Feb. 11 while trying to defend an Albuquerque gas station clerk who was being attacked.
“He was my only son, my only baby,” his mother Evette Desoto told KOB 4. “He was 24 years old, with a steady job, and a big heart. If someone needed help, he was there to help.”
Investigators told KOB 4 that Urioste tried to help the clerk, who was allegedly being hit by Eric Ford. As Urioste and Ford fought outside, a woman with Ford allegedly hit Urioste with a cane as Ford drew a gun and shot Urioste.
“That man took our hearts and our family,” Desoto said. “And our happiness, and our holidays will never be the same. Michael had so many friends and so many people loved him, he didn’t deserve to die.”
A GoFundMe page has been created to help meet Urioste’s funeral expenses.
“Michael had stopped on the way to the gym for gas and witnessed an altercation between the clerk and a customer where the customer struck the cashier,” said a statement on the page. “Michael intervened and as a result of his good Samaritan actions Michael suffered a gunshot wound, which sadly, was fatal. Michael's family and circle of friends is heartbroken that he was taken so unexpectedly, but hopefully take comfort knowing that Mikey passed away from protecting someone who needed help.”
Ford has a criminal record dating back to the 1990s that includes drug possession, illegal gun possession, armed robbery, assault, and now alleged murder; the KOB 4 report said.
“We all don’t understand why he was walking freely, why he was able to just live in a society with innocent people,” Linda Desoto, Michael Urioste’s aunt, told KOB 4.
The family has called for an end to gun violence.
“It just needs to stop,” Evette Desoto said. “There’s so many people getting killed. They don’t have the chance to get married, have kids, grandkids, great-grandkids. It’s sad. We want justice for Mikey. And for everyone else who’s been through this.”
