An 18-year-old New Mexico man, Sheliky Sanchez, is accused of fatally shooting a random Uber driver named Joseph Andrus. Allegedly, Sanchez told police that he had killed Andrus to “let some steam off” because he was stressed at the time.
Videos by Suggest
According to a criminal complaint reviewed by Law & Crime, the incident occurred at midnight on Thursday, August 7. Sanchez was, at the time, with his girlfriend, and allegedly told her to order an Uber. He claimed at the time that “his friend had a car for him to borrow and that he was going to get it,” as per the complaint.
Shortly after getting into the Uber ride, Sanchez’s girlfriend allegedly received an automated Uber call, stating that the ride “had to come to a stop” before arriving at the drop-off location. The document then alleged that Sanchez returned in a Ford Escape registered to Andrus.
The couple allegedly drove to a McDonald’s and removed the vehicle’s license plate.
‘Let Some Steam Off’
In an interview with Sheliky Sanchez, the 18-year-old allegedly claimed he had purchased the Ford Escape from someone named “Angel” on Facebook Marketplace on August 6. When asked about his Uber ride, he replied, “Uber ride. Thursday morning. What Uber ride?” as per the complaint.
Sanchez initially told police that he had been sleeping at his grandmother’s house, the document alleged. He even allegedly reacted by saying, “What the f—?” when police informed him that the Ford Escape belonged to an Uber driver, Andrus, who was shot dead on August 7.
When asked if he wanted to share what really happened, Sanchez allegedly confessed. According to the complaint, Sanchez said that, at the time of the incident, he “wanted to let some steam off.” The man claimed he was under “so much stress and so much bulls—.”
Fatal Shooting, Smiling Mugshot
Allegedly, Sanchez stated he didn’t want to target “certain people.” Instead, he decided to take “anybody he could see or find,” the complaint said. The man cited this reason as to why he told his girlfriend to order an Uber, according to police.
Sanchez described Andrus as “really cool”, saying that they had a “whole *ss talk” with his alleged victim. When they arrived at the drop-off location, Sanchez allegedly told Andrus to exit the car, shot him “like five times,” stole his vehicle, exited the car, shot him again, and waited for him to die before driving away, according to the complaint.
Andrus was pronounced dead at the scene.
While Sanchez “felt bad” for Andrus, he allegedly stated he felt relief after “getting that satisfaction out of the way.” In his mugshot, he is seen smiling after allegedly killing the Uber driver to, according to him, “let some steam off.”
Sanchez was charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, and tampering with evidence. He is currently being held without bail at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center.