A former U.S. Marine, who was building a life in Japan with his wife, was visiting his hometown of El Paso when he was fatally shot by an Uber driver inside a Walgreens in a confrontation that began over an accessible parking spot.
The El Paso Police Department arrested Nicholas Emanuel Wells, 26, on a murder charge in the death of Christopher Brandon Steven, 32, during an apparently random encounter on the night of July 2 at a Walgreens pharmacy at 2800 N. Mesa St. in the Kern Place neighborhood of the West Side.
Wells told detectives he shot Steven in self-defense during a fight, but his claims were allegedly contradicted by security camera video showing Wells shot Steven three times, including twice as Steven was lying on the floor, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the El Paso Times.
Steven had three gunshots to the abdomen and was taken to University Medical Center of El Paso, where he died of his wounds, the affidavit filed by an El Paso police detective stated.
Wells remains incarcerated at the El Paso County Jail in Downtown under a $350,000 bond.
Former US Marine was newly married, planned life in Japan
Friends described Steven as a proud El Pasoan, a good person and “a damn good Marine” in mournful posts on his Facebook page.
Steven was an El Paso native and a graduate of Austin High School, Class of 2012. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2020 and served until May 2025, when he medically retired. Steven and his wife, Anna, met when he was stationed in Okinawa and married in 2023, stated a GoFundMe account set up to help his widow and family in Japan with travel and funeral expenses.
Earlier this year, the couple celebrated a Shinto wedding ceremony that beautifully embraced both of their cultures. The couple wore traditional Japanese clothing, with Christopher in a zoot suit and Anna in a white dress. Japanese and Mexican folklorico dancers performed at the celebration, showed photos and videos posted on Steven’s Facebook page in February.
The smiling couple is cheek-to-cheek in one photo with Christopher in a zoot suit, hat and dark sunglasses and Anna in a kimono. The caption, with a red heart in the middle, reads “Ryukyu,” the Japanese name for Okinawa, and “El Chuco,” the nickname for El Paso in the old Caló slang of pachucos.
The couple had planned to honeymoon in Rome in September and to start a family. Steven dreamed of opening a Mexican food restaurant in Okinawa to share his culture with his new home, the fundraiser stated. The page had collected more than $11,000 in donations as of Tuesday evening.
‘Put three in him’
The affidavit filed by a detective with the Crimes Against Persons Unit stated that patrol officers responded to several 911 calls reporting a shooting about 11:30 p.m. on July 2 in the Walgreens. One of the callers was Wells, who said he shot someone after he had been attacked inside the store, the affidavit stated.
Officers found Wells waiting in the parking lot by the store entrance. A Glock 22 .40-caliber handgun was on the hood of his black Jeep Cherokee and a second gun, a revolver, was on his person, the affidavit stated.
Wells was detained and placed in the back seat of a patrol car, where he made several calls on his cell phone. The interior police dashboard camera recorded him talking, saying that he had been assaulted inside the store for no reason and Wells had to “put three in him,” referring to three gunshots, the affidavit stated.
Walgreens parking space confrontation
When interviewed by detectives, Wells said that he was working as an Uber driver when he stopped at Walgreens to buy a bottle of water and deodorant, the affidavit stated.
A black Kia Rio, driven by Steven’s mother, drove into the parking lot. Steven was the front passenger and his sister was in the back seat, the affidavit stated.
The Kia attempted to park in the accessible parking spot next to Wells’ vehicle, prompting Wells to yell at them, asking why they were parking next to him. Steven’s mother then reversed and parked in a different spot, the mother and daughter told investigators, according to the affidavit.
Wells continued to argue with the Stevens about the parking spot as they walked into the Walgreens.
Shooting suspect claims he was attacked
Wells claimed the Kia drove erratically into the parking lot, nearly hit him and Steven raised his arms, made hand gestures and antagonized him before both men entered the Walgreens, the affidavit stated.
Inside the store, Wells claimed Steven turned around and assaulted him by chest-bumping him, and Wells responded by punching Steven, with Wells claiming he was attempting to create space away from Steven as a fight began.
Wells told detectives that he grabbed his gun and racked it in what he said was an attempt to de-escalate the situation.
Wells claimed Steven advanced toward him in a fighting stance regardless of the gun before Wells shot him in the abdomen and that Steven continued attacking and Wells shot him twice more. Steven fell to the floor. Wells went outside and called 911.
Police: Video contradicts self-defense claim
There were several inconsistencies in Wells’ version of events, which investigators determined after reviewing security videos from inside the Walgreens and from outdoor city cameras, the affidavit stated.
According to the detective’s description of the video in the affidavit, the Kia was not speeding and Wells was not in danger of being struck by the car in the parking lot.
Wells was filmed closely following Steven in the parking lot and into the Walgreens, while appearing to speak aggressively, the affidavit noted.
In the store, Steven turns around and uses his chest to bump into Wells, who then punches Steven in the face. A fight erupts with both men grabbing each other before Wells is seen holding a gun in his right hand, pointing it toward the ceiling before the men begin wrestling for the firearm.
Wells has his left arm around Steven’s neck, pulling him close, pointing the gun at his head as the struggle continues, before eventually the gun is at Steven’s abdomen and one shot is fired.
Steven is seen on the video falling to the ground face up, at which point Wells fires a second shot. Wells kept the gun pointed at Steven while taking several steps back before firing a third shot while Steven was “on the ground defenseless and bleeding out,” the affidavit stated. Three bullet casings were retrieved at the scene.
Detectives alleged that the video refutes Wells’ claims about trying to create distance as he holds Steven around the neck, as well as the claim that Steven was attacking him when all three shots were fired, the affidavit stated.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com and @BorundaDaniel on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Affidavit says former Marine was shot, killed on Walgreens floor
Reporting by Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
