CASPER — A 19-year-old man who shot a 47-year-old man in the back on the Fourth of July at a local park will serve five to eight years in prison.
Adolfo Aceves was sentenced on Tuesday by Judge Kerri Johnson in Natrona County District Court.
He appeared in court for sentencing after pleading guilty to aggravated assault and battery, dressed in blue jeans and a dark blue button-down shirt.
The January plea was part of an agreement with the Natrona County District Attorney’s Office to seek no more than eight years in prison.
Aceves was arrested for the July 4 shooting in late September, after a three-month investigation by the Casper Police Department.
Caught on video
Deputy District Attorney Blaine Nelson showed two brief videos of the shooting. Bystanders at Mathew Campfield Park captured videos of Fowler in a confrontation with three young men.
The video shows Fowler attempting to grab one of the young men and push him up against a fence while Aceves — dressed in a black hooded Nike sweatshirt, blue jeans, and black shoes — tries to shove him.
Aceves raised a handgun seconds later and shot Fowler in the back. People began to yell and run in different directions.
“This had been a Fourth of July event,” Nelson explained. “It was crowded … children of all ages.”
Nelson stated that a group of youth, including Aceves, had been firing bottle rockets into the crowd while disregarding people who warned them that it was dangerous and to stop shooting them horizontally. He claimed that a bottle rocket landed near the feet of Mr. Fowler’s child.
“Mr. Fowler moved across to stop it. “They laugh and don’t take it seriously,” Nelson explained.
Nelson stated that Aceves claimed his actions were self-defense, but he was never in danger, and Fowler never struck his friend.
“It’s not self-defense and it’s not self-defense of others,” according to Nelson. “(Fowler’s) children saw him severely wounded. There were dozens of other family members present who took their children and fled to safety.
Previous Conviction
In addition to the July 4 shooting, Nelson stated that Aceves had a previous misdemeanor conviction for concealing a weapon and intoxication.
Nelson requested that the judge impose the six-to-eight-year sentence for Aceves without considering the state’s youthful offender program.
Dylan Rosalez, a defense attorney, agreed that the shooting resulted in “quite a melee.” He stated that his client did not believe he was legally justified in shooting Fowler.
“He reacted by trying to help his friend,” Rosalez said. “He accepted responsibility.” He understands what he did and how serious it is.”
Aceves’ remarks in court were too quiet to be heard, but Rosalez stated that after the hearing, he told the judge that he was sorry for what he did and apologized to the victim.
Rosalez requested that the court sentence him to four to six years in prison and allow him to participate in the Wyoming Department of Corrections’ youthful offender program.
Johnson sentenced Aceves to five to eight years and stated that the pre-sentence investigation revealed “an indication that he does not have remorse for this offense.”
“I am not going to recommend the youthful offender program,” she told me.
Aceves walked away, hands in his blue jeans, into the custody of Natrona County Sheriff’s Office deputies.
He received credit for six days served.
Confidential Witnesses
According to court records, on July 5, police searched Aceves’ home and questioned him about a person wearing a black hoodie who was involved in the shooting.
Aceves told police that he had left with a friend before the shooting and was wearing a white Nike hoodie with a small stain on the front pocket. He stated that they went to Wendy’s and spent the night with a female friend before being taken home the next morning.
A confidential witness interviewed by police on September 6 identified Aceves as the person in the black hoodie and the driver of a group of males who went to Mathew Campfield Park the night of July 4.
Another confidential witness provided police with video of the shooting on September 11, allowing them to identify Aceves’ face as he wore a black hoodie and fired a black handgun into the victim’s back.
