Longtime Albuquerque pizzeria owner Rosario Zito was murdered by a felon with a mile-long criminal history two days ago. Zito was legally carrying a concealed handgun.

Police said Zito was shot in the face by an armed robber — 27-year-old Sylvan Alcachupas, who has been charged with murder.

Court documents show Zito was with two of his employees closing up shop when a masked man approached them, saying, “Everybody drop your stuff on the ground.”

One witness said the man grew frustrated because he wasn’t taken seriously.

Then witnesses said the situation escalated when the man pulled out a handgun, fired a warning shot, and said, “I’m (expletive deleted) serious, empty your (expletive deleted) on the ground.”

According to the criminal complaint, the employees threw down their tip money, but Zito was undeterred. The masked man with the gun allegedly asked him, “Do you want to play?”

Zito reportedly said, “Yeah, let’s play.” The masked man fired, and Zito — who was carrying a concealed gun — also fired a shot. Zito was shot twice in the chest and once in the cheek.

Police said Alcachupas was that masked man, and he was caught on surveillance camera. Police caught up to Alcachupas, who was spotted in the area of California and Anderson nearby.

In an interview with homicide detectives, Alcachupas denied his involvement.

Owner of Giovanni's Pizzeria shot, killed during robbery - KOB.com

Yeah, best to just throw your wallet on the ground and then draw and shoot him when his eyes go to the wallet.

Don't play word games with him.......act compliant.

Oh.......addition.........a criminal with a mile long record should be in prison--not getting into gunfights with good citizens. Such a thing is a sad commentary on our legal system.

AND........the good citizen's family can be proud that he died on his feet like a man and the thug is going to prison for the rest of his life.

As long as the bleeding hearts refuse to do what needs to be done to these animals this evil will never end. How many have to pointlessly die. Sorry prosecutors will take a plea and he’ll be out in 15 years. Never understood the idea of good behavior in prison. Doesn’t mean anything. Its his past and future bad behavior they should be concerned about.
Along with dropping your wallet and drawing your pistol you also have to get off the X.

He died the way he chose…..he knew he had less than a 50-50 chance and he lost. But it was his choice…..his property, his life. He took the risk to defend that which he believed in. How does that make him a magic wand waver……you insult the man for what he chose to do to stand up to evil….maybe not what you would have done but no need to dismiss his choices as tragic and wand waving.


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Situational awareness, the combat mindset, the ability to go from 0 to 60 in 3 seconds flat.....

Actually the "throw your wallet down to distract them then go for your gat" is not a bad notion under the circumstances. Drawing against the drop is a move for someone who is very, very good. The conversation he engaged in was, in all honesty, not real bright under the circumstances. That being said he stood up and got a shot off before he went down. There are worse ways to go. Like laying face down in an alley with the bad guy aiming at the back of your skull.

The cautionary part is that you can lose, even with a firearm and training.

There's no free lunch.

Sad that a good man had to go down.

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Don’t know if he had been robbed before but if his mindset was to defend his business at all costs he should have went one step further and invested in a good vest.

The failure was allowing a masked man to get close to them.


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As Tuco said: when you have to shoot, shoot, don’t talk.

I doubt many concealed carriers think a gun is a magic wand.

Who doesn't know this though?

The shooter was on five year probation for a previous robbery. A warrant was issued earlier that day for him in connection with that parole.

Yup. He should have already been in prison.

I've known him since the late Eighties; he was a fine man.

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Now go make God proud...

Worth 10,000 of the puke that murdered him.

good lesson here, he should have never waited for the bad guy to pull out his gun. always take the threat seriously. and when you're going to shoot, shoot, don't talk. less warning given to the bad guy

^^^ This ^^^ Unlike TV and movies, the good guy doesn't always win.

In reality, when someone shoots at someone else, no one wins even if it is warranted.

Rosewood

Poor decision, bad outcome. Getting into one's face resulted in getting one in the face, and elsewhere.

That is a fact. 'Winning' means you live, not whether you'll have immediate catastrophic legal entanglements, or have to move to get away from decedent's relatives/associates and media, or whether your spouse or kids will get hassled or hurt by the same, or whether you'll get criminally charged (even a 'no bill' from a grand jury can easily cost you a new pickup) or whether you'll be embroiled in never-ending litigation that costs 3x what your house does.

Being alive is good; the rest may well be harder than most things you've dealt with in life.

A lot of people think what way though. ALot of people think that when push comes to shove, a home invasion will be like the kitchen shootout in mr and mrs smith.

When in reality its more like the bedroom shootout in The Shootist

You'll surely want to be fully awake (in every sense of the word) before pulling a trigger.

Unfortunately, I find the opposite to be true in CCW classes. There are many with incredibly unrealistic expectations and an inflated sense of their own abilities. It’s frightening sometimes.

Yet another scumbag that should have been in prison instead of destroying families and preying upon society.

I think appearing to comply and throwing down the cash & wallets and picking a more opportune moment to draw and fire would have probably been better. Easy to say what we would have done in a given situation, after the fact. Very sorry that a good, brave man is dead instead of the perp.

My condolences and prayers go out to the Zito family.

Indeed. That's my experience with people generally.

Thankfully I have never been involved in a SD shooting. Hopefully that luck will continue throughout my life - I don't look forward to having to defend myself with a gun, although I would if I had too.

While I am no coward and do pack every day, I would have no problems giving up my wallet to avoid a shooting. Licenses and credit cards can be replaced. The cash in my wallet won't change my life if stolen. While I might feel abused, disrespected and taken advantage of, I would use a gun as a last resort only. I would also not "announce" that I wanted to play - I'd just play! Why give someone who is going to shoot you the upper hand!? That judgement is a very hard thing to do, I get that. If ever I am pressed into that choice, I pray I make the right one.

Been carrying since 70s and only 2 times had to put my hand on pistol, never drawn or fired, Thank God. Situational awareness is key, know where you are , or going. Watch all individuals ,where they are going and what they are looking at. Col. Cooper was so Right.

Far to many people teaching concealed carry courses and those who have taken them. And many who have done the thunder ranch stuff, feel that when push comes to shove, say a bump in the night becomes a burglar, that they will spring into action and it will unfold like

Magnum Force, the carrier shootout
Blood work, the ship shootout
Tomb Raider, the ariel ballet shootout

When for most of reality, it will end far far differently. more like a peckinpah film

Or Tarantino.

I think the vast majority believe exactly that . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .