Pueblo murder suspect admits to striking victim

A brawl outside of a Pueblo nightclub over Sunday morning resulted in one man dead.

Pueblo police officers were called to El Wuateke Bar and Restaurant on the 200 block of Northern Avenue around 2 a.m. That’s when they found 53-year-old Hilario Gonzalez unresponsive on his back in the parking lot. Paramedics attempted to resuscitate him but were unable.

Thanks to testimonies from witnesses and security footage, police were able to identify 25-year-old Hugo Diaz as their suspect in connection to the murder. Diaz has been charged with Manslaughter, a Class 4 felony.

In the affidavit, Diaz says he was getting into his aunt’s vehicle when he was confronted by a female and Gonzalez. Diaz admits to striking the victim twice after he badmouthed the mother of his child.

“I feel bad,” says El Wuateke owner Jose Gonzalez. “I don’t have words.”

Both police and the bar’s owner, Jose Gonzalez, say the assault happened so quickly and unexpectedly in the parking lot that security couldn’t stop it from happening.

“We were closing, trying to get people out,” recalls Gonzalez. “The incident was after hours. We didn’t witness what happened.”

Police say security footage shows Gonzalez being punched twice and then directly falling onto his back. The cause of death isn’t clear at this time, but police say the impact of the fall could have played a role.

“Very rarely do bar fights end up being a homicide,” said Pueblo Police Captain Kenny Rider.

Rider says investigators are currently analyzing all of the security footage inside and outside of the bar so they can get a full account of what took place that night. He says not everything is abundantly clear at this time.

“I’m not quite sure what the disturbance was or what the connection was between the suspect and the victim,” said Rider. “But there was a large disturbance involving several people at the time.”

El Wuateke’s owner says Diaz was a regular at the bar, and not the type to start trouble.

“I don’t think he was an aggressive person,” says Gonzalez. “I think he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

The El Wuateke owner says the victim was being difficult with employees, and Gonzalez personally stopped serving him alcoholic drinks from the bar twenty minutes before closing time.

Family and friends of Gonzalez held a vigil outside of El Wuateke Sunday evening to pay their respects. Candles and flowers can still be seen there.

Police would not release the security footage to the public while the investigation is still ongoing.