June 26 – Two defendants have reached plea deals in connection with a drive-by shooting in Lafayette that left one person paralyzed.
Joseph Hidalgo, 18, pleaded guilty Wednesday to attempted first-degree murder; first-degree assault — extraordinary risk; and illegal discharge of a firearm – knowingly or recklessly. All other charges were dismissed.
Hidalgo will remain in custody without bond until his sentencing on September 6. Advocates have recommended a seven-year prison sentence under the Youthful Offenders System, in which young offenders face a maximum sentence of seven years if convicted of a Class 2 felony.
Hidalgo was 17 years old at the time of the incident. His booking photo cannot be released as he was underage when it was taken.
On May 24, co-defendant Angel Viramontes, 19, pleaded guilty to illegal discharge of a firearm. All other charges were dismissed, including four counts of attempted first-degree murder.
Viramontes remains in custody on a $500,000 bond and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 9.
Co-defendant Nathen Rodriguez, 20, pleaded not guilty to two counts of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, criminal menacing, illegal discharge of a firearm and reckless endangerment.
Rodriguez is currently being held on $1 million bail. He is scheduled to appear on July 5 for a motion hearing and a two-week trial that begins on August 19.
According to a news release from Lafayette, police responded to a report of a shooting in the 700 block of Quail Drive on September 8 at 11:25 p.m. They found a man lying on the sidewalk with a single gunshot wound to the torso.
Police provided aid to the injured man before he was taken to hospital.
The attackers fled in a white SUV, according to police. The SUV was tracked by police to the 800 block of Dove Cove using Flock license plate reading technology.
According to an affidavit, Hidalgo was seen by witnesses in a white SUV with a gun at the time of the shooting.
Along with Boulder County and Broomfield SWAT teams, Lafayette police surrounded a home in the 800 block of Dove Cove. Rodriguez was taken into custody at 7 a.m. on September 9.
According to an affidavit, witnesses told police that a third man had fired and that he was among the group targeted by the person in the white SUV. While interviewing two witnesses, police were told that Viramontes was with the victim group and had fired a .45 caliber handgun during the incident. The witnesses gave the police an address where they believed he lived. A witness who lived at the address of the shooting also agreed that Viramontes was in the home at the time of the shooting.
Police observed a timeline and details of the incident, including the color and type of car, to be consistent with witness statements.
Six .45 caliber shell casings were found at the scene, according to the affidavit.
Police said interviews and video review revealed that Viramontes’ involvement was concealed by two others and that he fired back at the SUV.
An affidavit appears to link this incident to a shooting in Longmont in August 2022.
