LAKEWOOD, Colo. — One of the four suspects arrested in connection with the killing of a man at a Lakewood car wash has five prior felony convictions and was on federal probation at the time of the killing.
Keandre Mims, Robert Solano and two juveniles face charges in the July 31 killing of 27-year-old Ramon Castro Contreras at the car wash near Sheridan Boulevard and West Colfax Avenue.
The other suspects are a 17-year-old boy who is charged as an adult and a 15-year-old boy whose case remains in juvenile court.
Video shows three suspects approaching the driver's side of the victim's car. One suspect is seen attempting to pull the car door open. Another suspect, believed to be Mims, is seen swinging his arm upward and then slamming it into a car window.
As Castro Contreras attempts to drive away, two of the suspects appear to fire at his vehicle. Castro Contreras was shot once in the back and died at the scene, the affidavit says. After the shooting, the suspects ran but came back briefly and appeared to be crouching down and are believed to be picking up spent shell casings. Ultimately the suspects took nothing during the crime.
Solano, 33, was arrested in Denver on Aug. 1 while driving a stolen Subaru Crosstek that was associated with the killing, the affidavit says.
Court records show Solano is charged with 15 counts, including second-degree murder, numerous counts of aggravated robbery and motor vehicle theft.
Solano told police he did not know the other suspects and was in the area trying to buy drugs, according to the affidavit. He said he spoke with them briefly and that one of the suspects asked him for a favor, which was for him to pull his vehicle behind the vehicle parked in the car wash stall.
He said he agreed to do it but had "no idea" what the other suspects intended to do. He said when he moved to that spot the others approached the vehicle in the stall on foot, and moments later he heard gunshots. A total of five shots were fired from two different weapons, the affidavit says.
According to the affidavit, Solano remarked to a passenger in his car that "these guys are crazy," and backed up and drove away.
Solano said the suspects never entered his vehicle and he told police he did not know who they were and did not know what they looked like because they were wearing masks during all of their interactions.
He said he saw the same suspects rob numerous people at a nearby 7-Eleven on West Colfax Avenue and a bus stop prior to the shooting.
One of the victims was forced to the ground at gunpoint, the affidavit says.
Mims, 28, who is on federal probation and a suspect in multiple robberies, is charged with first-degree murder after deliberation and numerous counts of aggravated robbery and felony menacing as well as tampering with physical evidence, court records show.
According to the arrest affidavit, members of ATF responded to Mims' home to contact him and search his residence on Aug. 2. While there they recovered a gun that appeared to match shell casings from the car wash.
The casings also matched a robbery in Denver that occurred less than an hour before the killing at the car wash.
Investigators also found the metal portion of a Ruger magazine on a shelf in Mims' bedroom. The endcap and spring of the magazine were located in the car wash and investigators believe the gun was broken when Mims was seen in a video appearing to slam the butt of the gun into the victim's car window, the affidavit says.
Detectives contacted Mims' mother who positively identified her son as one of the suspects seen in the security photos from the homicide. She said she was "absolutely confident" it was him and said he had seen her son wearing the jacket the man had on in the photo.
According to the arrest affidavit, Mims has five prior felony convictions including robbery and attempted escape convictions in Denver and an assault on a peace officer case that occurred at the Sterling Correctional Facility.
Mims' mom also provided information about who she believed the others suspects were based on the security images.
The 17-year-old suspect, who is charged as an adult, is an associate of Mims' younger brother, the affidavit says. Johntae Guyton was arrested on Aug. 1 by Denver police after being caught driving a stolen car, the affidavit says.
Guyton is also a suspect in a robbery in Denver that occurred on the same night of the Lakewood homicide. During that crime, a group of men was approached by several suspects and robbed. One of the victims was pistol-whipped, the affidavit says.
At the time of his arrest, 40 caliber ammunition was found in his pocket. During the killing at the car wash, it's believed two weapons were fired, one of which had 40 caliber rounds.
Guyton is charged with 14 counts including second-degree felony murder and numerous counts of aggravated robbery. According to the arrest affidavit, he has a prior criminal history dating back to 2019.
Mims and Gutyon are due in court for preliminary hearings on Oct. 5. Solano is scheduled for an arraignment on that date.
The name of the 15-year-old suspect is not being released due to his age.
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