A man who fired a gun into an occupied vehicle parked on Second Street in Dolores in April was sentenced to prison this month.
Dustin Ray Wall pleaded guilty to illegally discharging a firearm and was sentenced to serve five years in the Department of Corrections by District Court Judge Todd Plewe. The sentence includes two years’ mandatory probation upon release.
Wall, of Dolores, has been held in the Montezuma County Detention Center since his arrest. He was given credit for 103 days served.
“I really want to apologize to everyone involved,” Wall said in open court. “I take 100% responsibility. I’m looking to put this behind me and get back to my kids.”
As part of a stipulated plea agreement, a charge of attempted second-degree murder was dropped. The guilty plea included an “extraordinary aggravation” stipulation that increased the sentencing range from a possible three years to up to six years in prison.
“This could have been worse. Somebody could have been killed,” Plewe said.
On April 26, Wall drove a white pickup alongside a Chevy Impala occupied by a man he knew and fired two shots from a handgun, according to arrest warrants and witnesses. Bullets hit doors of the car, which was parked on Second Street. The victim was not hit.
According to witnesses, Wall then left the scene. The truck was found abandoned on Linden Street in Cortez and impounded. After an investigation, an arrest warrant was issued for Wall. He was arrested May 10 at a residence on County Road T.
After the shooting, witnesses said the victim in the Impala moved the vehicle to another location on Second Street. At first, he could not be located, but was later found hiding in the Impala’s trunk because he had an active warrant.
According to the arrest warrant, “while preparing the vehicle to be towed, we heard someone knock on the trunk of the vehicle from the inside,” and it was the victim.