AURORA, Colo. — A teenager was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Friday for a fatal 2024 shooting in Aurora after he pleaded guilty in July to second-degree murder.
Xavier Garcia, 17, originally faced two additional charges — first-degree murder and possession of a handgun by a juvenile. Those were dropped, as part of the plea agreement, and Garcia was given 548 days of credit for time already served.
Garcia was arrested in April in connection with a double shooting on March 24 at a rental hall in the 2000 block of N. Tower Road.
Aurora
16-year-old faces murder charge in Aurora double shooting
Police said the victim — identified as 19-year-old Joseph Martinez — attended a party that Garcia organized and promoted and was standing against a wall next to a fight that had broken out. During the scuffle, prosecutors said Garcia approached Martinez and pulled out a .45 caliber handgun, shooting the victim in the chest.
When the Aurora Police Department was called to the area that night, officers found a large group of people and two men suffering from gunshot wounds. One victim was treated and released from the hospital, but Martinz later died at the hospital. Nobody else was injured.
“This young defendant shot and killed a fellow teenager for nothing,” said District Attorney Brian Mason. “His actions were outrageous, unjustified and devastating. This case is yet another tragic example of the devastation caused by youth gun violence. A 19-year-old lost his life, and a 17-year-old threw his future away with senseless act of violence.”
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