Tyler East former MMA fighter shot dead in domestic dispute outside his Albuquerque home after shooting his girlfriend in domestic dispute. Shooter remains at large.
Perhaps it was inevitable….? Former MMA fighter Tyler East was shot dead outside his home in New Mexico — after shooting his girlfriend during a ‘domestic dispute,’ according to police.
The 30-year-old fighter — who has a checkered arrest record involving domestic assaults, kidnapping and aggravated battery— was fatally shot by a man who saw him attacking his girlfriend outside his Albuquerque residence in the suburb of Los Lunas on Monday afternoon, New Mexico State Police said.
‘During the dispute, East brandished a weapon, shot his girlfriend, and then dragged her out of the residence,’ police said in a release.
‘While outside, East was shot by a male subject who was at the residence. East succumbed to his injuries,’ police said.
The shooter — who was not identified — ‘fled the scene’ and is still at large, cops added.
East’s girlfriend was taken to an Albuquerque hospital where she is in stable condition, police said, without elaborating on where she had been shot. She was not identified.
East, a 6-feet 5-inches heavyweight, had a 15-6 fight record in numerous organizations, including Bellator, according to MMA site Sherdog. His final fight was a first-round knockout loss at Legacy FC 60 in 2016, the site said. East had not fought since 2016.
Of note, the 30-year-old fighter‘s brother, Cody East, fought in the UFC
He had a troubled history with numerous run-ins with the law, including previous domestic violence, MMA Junkie noted.
Ongoing runs in with the law
East was arrested in 2020 on charges of stealing money from his dead grandfather’s bank account in addition to battery and resisting arrest after allegedly fleeing from police, according to KRQE.
According to MMA Junkie, he was arrested multiple times in the past 12 years on domestic violence related charges including kidnapping and aggravated battery. In 2012 the former fighter was also booked with bribery of a witness after assaulting an ex while on a ‘cocaine binge,’ the site said.
