Defendant set for May trial
A man accused of firing shots in a Longmont strip mall in 2022 is set for a May trial.
Alonso Medrano, 36, pleaded not guilty to two counts of attempted first-degree murder — after deliberation; two counts of attempted first-degree murder — extreme indifference, aggravated intimidation of a witness or victim — wound or menacing; felony menacing, possession of a weapon by a previous defender; illegal discharge of a firearm and menacing.
Medrano is currently in custody on a $250,000 bond. He is set for trial starting May 13.
Medrano’s trial setting comes after several continuances, with his first trial being set back in April 2023.
According to an affidavit, on June 8, 2022, Longmont officers were dispatched to 1118 Main St. in response to multiple gunshots being fired.
Witnesses identified two vehicles involved including an Audi sedan and Lexus SUV.
After speaking with a witness on scene, officers were able to track down the driver of the Audi who said he was in the strip mall picking up a pizza for his family and then went into a smoke shop nearby. When exiting the shop, the Audi driver said a man he did not know approached him and started a verbal argument to which the Audi driver “confronted” and argued back, according to the affidavit. The driver then got into the driver’s seat of the Audi along with a passenger and drove towards the exit of the parking lot.
While waiting to leave the parking lot, the Audi driver saw the man holding a black handgun at chest height and pointed it towards him, according to the affidavit. The Audi driver then tried to quickly leave and heard shots fired, one shot entered the open driver’s side front window and went through the front windshield.
A witness who later called police said he saw an “aggressive” man drinking alcohol in the restaurant the witness was in before exiting in the same strip mall. The witness then heard four gunshots and saw the aggressive man outside holding a black handgun.
The man with the gun then walked back in the restaurant and said “Don’t say anything (expletive),” and grabbed at his waist as if signaling he had a weapon, according to the witness.
Police contacted the owner of the Lexus through a phone number connected to the car registration, according to the affidavit.
The owner, and witness of the incident, said he was driving Medrano to a liquor store after Medrano recognized him in the nearby restaurant.
Medrano’s girlfriend was in the front seat and Medrano was in the back before he got out and approached the Audi driver, the Lexus driver told police. Medrano then returned and received a handgun from his girlfriend.
The Lexus driver said he believed Medrano recognized the two men in the Audi because he said, “I’m gonna shoot these guys.”
The Lexus owner stated he saw the Audi driver and passenger show “gang signs” and following the shooting, Medrano pointed the gun at the Lexus driver and told threatened him to not tell anyone, according to the affidavit.
While investigating, police found five spent 9mm Lugar “Blazer” bullet casings in the parking lot of the strip mall which they found to be consistent with the positioning of shooter described in witness statements, according to the affidavit.
Medrano has a felony conviction out of Weld County from 2010 that forbids him from owning a firearm.