A 22-year-old airman stationed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base is facing a felony charge after allegedly pulling a pistol and threatening to kill another airman for saying he resembled “Diego from Dora the Explorer” while they were playing beer pong.
The altercation occurred at a Super Bowl party in February, more than seven months ago, but the Air Force has only recently turned over the case to the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident involving Dionido Bauzon had been investigated by the US Air Force Office of Special Investigations, but the case was turned over to local law enforcement because it occurred at an Airbnb in the 8400 block of Ridge Road in Laramie County rather than on the base.
Court documents released Monday in Cheyenne Circuit Court did not explain why it took seven months to make that determination.
Bauzon faces charges of aggravated assault and battery.
A call to the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office was not immediately returned regarding Bauzon’s arrest.
Then A Gun Was Pulled
According to an affidavit filed in the case, Bauzon attended a Super Bowl party on February 9 alongside several other Air Force base service members.
He and his partner were playing beer pong against two airmen. Players try to land a pingpong ball into cups filled with beer.
According to the affidavit, Bauzon and his partner were winning when one of the other team’s airmen began “trash-talk” with their opponents. Bauzon was told, “Get this man off the table, he cannot shoot.”
Bauzon responded with an expletive, and an airman from the opposing team told him, “You know who you look like, man?” “You look like Diego from Dora the Explorer.”
According to the affidavit, Bauzon then pulled a firearm from his pocket, racked the slide, and pointed it at the airman who had made the remark.
The airman told OSI investigators that Bauzon held the gun close to his body, between his chest and waistline, and asked him what he had just said.
‘I’ll Kill You All’
The airman told OSI that he questioned Bauzon about whether he was “really gonna pull a gun out for beer pong?”
“I don’t know any of you, but I’ll kill you all,” Bauzon allegedly replied.
According to the airman, Bauzon pointed the gun at him for a few seconds before directing a blue laser at his chest. He claimed Bauzon made a circular motion with the gun pointed at him.
The airman told OSI that he was afraid for his life but knew that the other members of the party were TCCC (tactical combat casualty care) trained.
Back at work the next day, Bauzon’s partner apologized to the airman, explaining that the only reason Bauzon pulled the gun was because “they didn’t know each other” and he hadn’t expected all the “trash talk.”
The alleged victim’s beer pong partner told OSI that Bauzon had the pistol down when he said, “I’ll shoot everybody in here.”
He stated that Bauzon had loaded a round into the pistol’s chamber and had his finger on the trigger. He called Bauzon’s eyes “teary” and his left fist “balled up.”
The partner stated that he did not fear for his life, but he did believe he would be shot because the laser light was on his own chest for a few seconds. According to the affidavit, he estimated that the laser was on his partner’s chest for approximately one minute.
Bauzon’s beer pong partner told investigators that Bauzon told his opponents, “I don’t know all y’all ners, but I’ll kill y’all ners.”
Told To Leave
According to the affidavit, Bauzon’s partner and another airman approached the pistol and told him to put it back in his pants before leaving.
He claimed Bauzon didn’t have his finger on the trigger when he yelled threats.
Bauzon’s dorm roommate, who also attended the party, told OSI that he heard the players “jokingly arguing about each other’s skill level,” followed by the sound of a gun cocking and someone screaming, according to the affidavit.
He claimed to have assisted Bauzon in leaving the house and discovered a tan pistol magazine hanging out of Bauzon’s pants pocket.
The affidavit refers to videos of Bauzon taken from the Airbnb, which show him walking out with an object sticking out of his right pant pocket. Another video from the Airbnb shows Bauzon conversing with five people standing between him and the door.
He is overheard saying, “That’s the thing, I don’t even know these people.”
In another video from the Airbnb, Bauzon’s beer pong partner tells the first alleged victim that he was attempting to calm Bauzon down. He informed the man that he knew he had a gun in his car and told him to “chill.”
According to the affidavit, OSI interviewed 11 other party members who provided similar accounts of the incident.
Aggravated assault and battery carries up to ten years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
