Both sides to meet in shooting case
The prosecution and defense in the case of one of the two men who allegedly shot at three Yuma police officers while they were documenting graffiti on a wall will meet sometime within the next month. They will try to resolve the case without it possibly having to go before a jury.
During a trial-setting hearing in Yuma County Superior Court Thursday morning, the criminal defense attorney who is representing Luis German Juarez requested a 30-day continuance and asked for a pretrial settlement conference.
Juarez, who remains in Yuma County jail on a $250,000 bond, has been charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
He has also been charged with six counts of assisting a criminal street gang and possession of a weapon by a prohibited possessor. Juarez was out of custody on pre-trial release for a prior offense when the shooting occurred.
Superior Court Judge Roger Nelson, who is presiding over the case, granted Donovan’s request, saying that he was ordering that the case be transferred to the presiding court judge, who would appoint a judge to conduct the settlement conference.
Nelson then scheduled Juarez’s next court appearance for 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 7, for a status conference, so he could be provided with an update on the status of the case.
A pretrial settlement conference is a meeting between opposing sides in a criminal case. At the meeting, the parties attempt to reach a mutually agreeable resolution of the case, such as through a plea offer.
According to Yuma police, the shooting happened at about 10:25 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 1 in the area of 22nd Street and Madison Avenue, as three officers from the Special Operations Group were at the location documenting gang-related graffiti on a wall and collecting evidence.
While there, two male suspects yelled something at the officers from across the street then suddenly started shooting at them, police said.
When officers returned fire, the suspects fled on foot. Both suspects were located and taken into custody.
One of the suspects, a 17-yearold male, now identified as Kane Perez, received a single gunshot wound that was considered nonlife threatening.