ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Authorities arrested a 44-year-old man in connection with a fatal early-morning shooting that left one person dead and followed an alleged attempt to rob the victim after a dispute over a vehicle.

Officials identified the suspect as Edwin Sanders and the victim as Estevan Gomez. The shooting occurred just before 4 a.m. Saturday near 3rd Street and Copper Avenue in downtown Albuquerque.

Investigators say Gomez had driven from Española with a coworker to attend an event and later stopped at Knockouts in the downtown area for about an hour. As the two men returned to where they had parked, they mistakenly tried to enter the wrong car; the doors would not unlock, and they then located their actual vehicle.

According to investigators, Sanders confronted the men from across the street and accused them of attempting to break into his vehicle. The pair tried to explain the error and began to walk away, but Sanders allegedly followed them and demanded money while brandishing a gun. When Gomez got into his car and attempted to leave, the suspect is accused of firing a shot through the rear window, fatally wounding him at the scene.

Police say they collected witness descriptions, identified the vehicle that picked up the suspect, and reviewed surveillance footage along with license-plate reader data to trace the car and pinpoint Sanders’ identity.

Detectives arrested Sanders Saturday night at a residence in the 1800 block of California St. NE. He faces multiple charges, including murder, attempted armed robbery, shooting at or from a motor vehicle, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and additional related counts.