CHEYENNE — On Monday afternoon, an airman accused of involuntary manslaughter pleaded not guilty to all charges in Laramie County District Court.
Airman 1st Class Jadan Orr, 20, is suspected of firing a gun through an apartment wall, killing another base airman, 23-year-old Senior Airman Joshua Aragon, a security forces specialist assigned to the 790th Missile Security Forces Squadron, 90th Missile Wing.
On August 16, he was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter, a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges in district court on Monday, before Judge Nathaniel Hibben.
Orr’s trial is scheduled for January 6.
Bond
Orr’s bond has already been reduced from $500,000 cash only to $250,000 cash or surety in circuit court. However, his lawyer, public defender Stacy Kirven, requested that the bond be reduced to $75,000 cash or surety to better accommodate his financial situation.
Kirven stated that Orr and his family cannot afford the $250,000 bond. She also stated that even if they could, posting it would disqualify him from having a public defender.
Kirven informed Judge Hibben that Orr is still a member of the United States Air Force, stationed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, and that if he is released on bond, he will be permitted to resume desk work.
At the time, Kirven argued that Orr has strong ties to the community and would not be a flight risk or a danger to the community because leaving the state without the Air Force’s express permission would put him at risk of being dishonorably discharged.
Orr is also enrolled in the Laramie County Jail’s 24/7 sobriety program, which requires him to be breathalyzed twice daily.
Kirven added that there is no accusation of intent in this case, with evidence indicating that Orr shot and killed Aragon as a result of reckless behavior, rather than intentionally.
As a result, the incident has had an impact on Orr’s mental health, and he plans to seek help, according to his lawyer.
Despite the defense’s arguments, Hibben denied the motion to reduce bond for the time being.
The incident
On August 16, at around 3:21 a.m., Cheyenne Police Department officers responded to a report of shots fired at Sundance Apartments, located at 215 Walterscheid Blvd.
When they arrived, Orr and another apartment resident were attempting to help Aragon. Court documents show that CPD officers took over first aid until American Medical Response (AMR) arrived on the scene. Aragon was pronounced dead by AMR on the scene around 3:40 a.m.
Officers were told by witnesses that Orr and Aragon went out with a group of their peers that night, then returned to the apartment to drink more.
Around 3 a.m., a few members of the group, including Orr, began to head to McDonald’s, leaving Aragon and another person behind. According to court documents, Orr and the others arrived at his vehicle but decided not to go to McDonald’s because they had been drinking and instead returned to the apartment.
When they returned, Orr noticed Aragon and another person sitting on the couch in the living room. According to court documents, Orr became upset and went into one of the apartment residents’ bedrooms to vent.
According to witnesses, Orr then picked up an AK-47-style pistol and fired a round through the bedroom wall, according to court documents.
The group then went into the living room, where they discovered Aragon had been struck by Orr’s round and was bleeding. Orr and Aragon’s roommate carried him outside to Orr’s Dodge Charger, intending to drive him to the hospital; 911 was dialed, and police arrived shortly thereafter.
According to court documents, Orr confirmed in his interview that the group decided not to go to McDonald’s and returned to the apartment. In an interview with officers, he claimed that he was given the pistol for an unknown reason.
“He took the pistol, pulled the bolt carrier group back, looked for a round in the chamber, which he said he did not see any, then closed the chamber, finally pulling the trigger to make sure the pistol was unloaded,” according to the papers.
Orr told police that he didn’t realize there was a round in the chamber when he pulled the trigger. He claimed to have “cleared” the pistol in the same way that the Air Force trained him to clear an AR-15 style rifle.
Orr also told police that he was unfamiliar with the AK-47 style pistol and had only fired it the weekend before the incident, according to court documents.
According to court documents, Orr stated that he had no intention of firing the pistol or killing Aragon.
