Hearing delayed for man charged in alleyway shooting
A hearing on Wednesday in Yuma County Superior Court for one of the two suspects charged in connection to a shooting in an alleyway, in which two people were wounded, had to be rescheduled until a settlement conference can be held.
Attorney David Shapiro, of the Yuma County Legal Defender’s Office, who represents 26-year-old Armando Montano, informed the court, when asked to provide an update on the status of the case, that a settlement conference has been set for Monday, so he has nothing new to report until after it is held.
A settlement conference is a formal meeting in which the prosecutor, defense attorney and judge meet to discuss the case to see if a deal can be made to avoid going to trial.
Montano, who remains in custody at the Yuma County jail on a $250,000 cash-only bond, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and one count each of criminal damage and aggravated assault with intent to cause serious physical injury.
As such, Superior Court Judge Brandon Kinsey, who is presiding over the case, scheduled the next hearing for 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 3. Montano is also facing a probation violation.
The shooting happened at around noon on May 23, with officers responding to a report of shots fired in the area of the 2000 block of S. Avenue A.
When officers arrived on scene, they discovered a shooting had happened in an alleyway between Avenue A and 11th Avenue. The initial investigation revealed that three vehicles were involved in the incident and that multiple shots had been fired.
All three cars left the scene following the shooting, with one running into the back wall of the All Seasons Florist building, which is located in the 2000 block of S. Avenue A.
Both of the injured individuals -- a male and a female -- were in the same car and were able to drive themselves to Yuma Regional Medical Center, where they were treated for injuries that were not lifethreatening.
Later that afternoon, at approximately 1:30 p.m., one of the vehicles involved was located in Somerton. Due to the severity of the crime, the Yuma Police Department Special Enforcement Team was deployed to the area of Somerton Avenue and Fulton Street, where the suspect was presumed to be hiding.
Police eventually arrested 33-year-old Daniel Munoz, who has since been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and one count each of aggravated assault with intent to cause serious physical injury and criminal damage.
He also remains in custody at the Yuma county jail on a $250,000 cash-only bond.