El Paso man acquitted of murdering neighbor in dog urination dispute

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- An El Paso jury just acquitted a man of murder charges connected to a deadly shooting in 2021.

Eduardo David Blanco was charged with using an AK-47 to shoot 26-year-old Atravius Burkes several times, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

The shooting stemmed from an argument between Blanco and Burke's girlfriend after she confronted Blanco for allegedly letting his dog urinate on her property, according to court records.

At one point, Burkes reportedly urinated on Blanco's house. That is when, according to investigators, Blanco pointed the weapon at Burkes. The argument escalated and Blanco shot Burkes several times, later telling investigators that he shot in self-defense after Burkes waved a gun at him.

The El Paso District Attorney's office confirms that the jury could not get past the fact that the victim was "waving a gun" and was "verbally menacing," and so decided to acquit Blanco.

Read our initial reporting here.

The incident happened on the 8900 block of Robert Drive in northeast El Paso before 3 AM Wednesday, September 15, 2021.