Man sentenced to 28 years for opening fire on vehicle with AR-15, killing driver
The Adams County District Attorney's Office announced Friday that a man was sentenced to 28 years after shooting at a vehicle with an AR-15, killing the driver who was a burglary suspect.
On Feb. 8, 2021, William Schuette, 23, was awakened to a burglary in progress at the Haraf Foods Market along Belle Creek Boulevard in Commerce City. He lived in an upstairs apartment above the market, according to a press release from the DA's Office.
The district attorney's press release revealed Schuette then ran outside onto a balcony armed with an AR-15 rifle and began to yell in the direction of the individuals involved in the incident. He then opened fire at the vehicle as the occupants tried to leave the area.
According to press release, the driver James Martinez, 24, was struck twice and pronounced at the scene. Schuette had fired four times at the vehicle.
"While this was a tragic case on multiple levels, justice is ultimately reserved for the courtroom, not the streets," said District Attorney Brian Mason. "It's not the job of a man standing on his upstairs apartment balcony to pull out an assault rifle and open fire on a group of people in a car because he believes a crime is in progress. This defendant had no right to take the law into his own hands and take another man's life. I'm thankful the jury saw it the same way."
