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Deputies arrested an oil rig worker who allegedly shot his best friend Sunday during a dispute over religion at an impromptu cookout at their work site in Eddy County.
Tevin Morrissette, 29, is charged with an open count of murder in the death of 33-year-old Avery Weathers.
Prosecutors have filed a motion to detain Morrissette, who is from Alabama.
Tevin Morrissette
“If (Morrissette) could shoot and kill his alleged best friend, then no person in the community is safe,” the motion states. Prosecutors said Morrissette is a flight risk with a pending drug possession case in Texas.
It is unclear if he has an attorney.
It was around noon when Eddy County deputies responded to a shooting near a remote oil field off Longhorn Road, according to a criminal complaint filed in Magistrate Court. On the way, they ran into Morrissette in an SUV with a mortally wounded Weathers in the backseat .
Weathers died of at least one gunshot wound, while Morrissette was hospitalized for bruises, cuts and a dislocated shoulder.
Morrissette told police he and Weathers invited a fellow oil rig worker to their trailer to watch a basketball game.
Court records state Morrissette said the three were grilling steaks and drinking Dos Equis beers and Knob Creek whiskey when he and Weathers began to argue. Morrissette told police Weathers attacked him and he crawled to his SUV and grabbed a pistol, shooting Weathers in self defense.
Police said the coworker told detectives the pair started arguing about religion when Morrissette challenged Weathers to a fight. The coworker said he broke up the fight quickly and Morrissette retrieved a gun as Weathers walked toward the trailer.
The coworker told police he tried to stop Morrissette and he replied “someone’s gonna die tonight,” according to the complaint. He said Weathers was headed into the trailer when Morrissette shot him twice, stepped over his body, and said “he was gonna die tonight.”
Police said the coworker told them their boss showed up soon after hearing gunfire and Morrissette called 911 before they loaded Weathers into his SUV.
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