NEW ORLEANS — A roofing contractor from Arizona has been charged with second-degree murder after putting his boss in a chokehold during a fight inside a Louisiana hotel room.

The Kenner Police Department reports that Vincent Medearis, 56, was arrested and booked with second-degree murder. According to NOLA.com, the victim was identified as Isaias Fino Jr., 39, of Laveen, Ariz. An autopsy was conducted on March 6, but the official cause of death has yet to be determined.

According to police, the fight broke out around 9:15 p.m. on March 5 at a La Quinta Inn & Suites in Kenner. Medearis, Fino and a third man were staying at the hotel while doing roofing work in the area. Police said Fino was their boss.

Fino arrived at the room Medearis was sharing with his co-worker and Fino began arguing with the co-worker. The argument turned physical, and Fino turned his attention to Medearis. This became a second altercation, where Medearis put Fino in a chokehold. The co-worker left to contact the supervisor of the trio to tell them what happened. When Fino returned, Medearis still had the chokehold on Fino, forcing the co-worker to separate them.

Police state that Fino fell to the bed and wasn’t breathing. Paramedics arrived at the scene and transported Fino to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead with a possible injury to his airway.

Medearis was taken into custody after homicide detectives questioned him. He is being held without bond at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna, La.