DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — An Aurora man was sentenced this month to 25 years in prison for a 2019 shooting in a Castle Rock King Soopers parking lot, according to the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office.
Hugo Vazquez-Topete, 29, pleaded guilty Dec. 17 to first-degree assault, and other charges were dismissed as part of a plea deal, the DA's Office says in a news release.
The Castle Rock Police Department (CRPD) recommended more than 30 criminal charges total for Vazquez-Topete and Benito Bautista, 27, of Denver, in the shooting on Aug. 6, 2019, that injured one victim.
> Video above: 2 men arrested in connection with shooting at Castle Rock King Soopers, aired in August 2019.
CRPD detectives determined that the shooting stemmed from an altercation at the gas pumps at the King Soopers at 750 N. Ridge Road. The victim and the suspects didn't know one another, the DA's Office said.
The victim and his friends got into their vehicle and drove to the stoplight at the parking lot exit. Vazquez-Topete and Bautista fired shots at the vehicle, and the victim was hit in the chest.
Vazquez-Topete's shot hit the victim, while Bautista's shot did not hit anyone. Another person in their vehicle didn't fire any shots and wasn't charged, the DA's Office said.
The victim was taken to a hospital and survived.
"In addition to almost killing the victim, [Vazquez-Topete] also endangered numerous people and showed a complete disregard for the value of human life," said Senior Deputy District Attorney Jake Adkins in the release.
Bautista pleaded guilty in November 2020 to attempted first-degree assault and was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Vazquez-Topete originally faced the following charges, according to court records:
- 7 counts of attempted first-degree murder
- First-degree assault with a deadly weapon
- First-degree assault with extreme indifference
- 6 counts of attempted first-degree assault with extreme indifference
- Violation of bond conditions
- Possession of a weapon by a previous offender
- Use of a weapon in a violent crime (sentence enhancer)
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