WELD COUNTY, Colo. — A man from Weld County faces between 400 and 1,200 years in prison after he was convicted of opening fire at people in a Greeley bar in 2022.
Following a week-long trial, Efren Sanchez was convicted on Friday on 52 charges, which included 25 counts of attempted first-degree murder (after deliberation), 25 counts of attempted first-degree murder (extreme indifference) and two crime of violence sentence enhancers, according to the Nineteenth Judicial District Attorney's Office.
He faces 400 to 1,200 years behind bars for the charges. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 13.
The charges stem from Aug. 13, 2022. That evening, officers with the Greeley Police Department responded to Rancho El Corazon bar, after received reports of a shooting. They found two people who had been shot. Both were brought to a hospital and survived their injuries.
Police identified Sanchez as the shooter.
Watch Denver7's coverage from the weekend of the shooting and how the initial investigation unfolded in the video below.
He was seen on video leaving the bar after he felt "disrespected" by another patron and returned shortly afterward armed with a rifle, the district attorney's office said. Video surveillance showed him firing several rounds at people outside the bar and then shooting into the bar. The district attorney's office said he fired 28 times in total.
Sanchez fled the scene, but was arrested on Aug. 27, 2022.
“He shot bullet after bullet, causing panic and pain,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Pirraglia said during Friday’s closing arguments. “These are innocent victims with forever reminders of the defendant’s actions.”
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