An Aurora man is headed to state prison for a decade after a chaotic late-night shootout along South Havana Street last summer left a bystander grazed by a bullet and set off a weeks-long investigation. The July 28, 2024, gunfire, which investigators say played out between moving vehicles, has now produced its first major courtroom outcome.
According to 9News, court documents show 29-year-old Yilbert Fransua Maldonado-Moncada pleaded guilty to second-degree assault causing injury with a deadly weapon and received a 10-year sentence to the Colorado Department of Corrections as part of a plea deal. Prosecutors agreed to drop 14 other charges under the agreement.
In a press release via the Aurora Police Department, officials said the shooting was reported around 11:45 p.m., less than two hours after a large gathering at the Gardens on Havana shopping center earlier that evening. Police said the crowd from that event had dispersed about 90 minutes before the gunfire and that investigators do not believe the shootings were directly tied to the earlier celebration.
Police Detail a Late-Night ‘Rolling Gunfight’
Detectives say security video and forensic testing revealed a chase and exchange of shots between a black Land Rover and a white Ford F‑150 along the 1500 block of South Havana Street, with shell casings at the scene linked to two other shootings earlier that day. An on-duty patrol car was struck, and investigators identified four people caught in the crossfire; one man suffered a grazing wound to the top of his head, according to reporting and the arrest affidavit.
As reported by Colorado Public Radio, investigators leaned on surveillance footage, cellphone records, and GPS data to map movements across Aurora and into Denver as they built the case.
Co-defendants Still Face Major Charges
Two other men, Jose Daniel Gimenez-Chacin and Alonzo Lara, were arrested in October and remain charged in Arapahoe County with counts including attempted first-degree murder and attempted first-degree assault, according to court records and local reporting. Bond amounts listed in county records ranged from $250,000 to $750,000 while prosecutors continue to prepare their cases.
As reported by The Denver Gazette, investigators also noted election-related writing on a vehicle tied to the shooting, a detail that drew extra attention because of the earlier Venezuelan election-night gathering in the area.
Plea Deal and What the Sentence Means
According to 9News, the plea leaves the second-degree assault conviction as the primary charge carrying the 10-year prison term, while the remaining counts were dismissed. The outcome closes one chapter in the Havana Street case but leaves felony-level charges in place for the two co-defendants as prosecutors decide whether to head to trial or pursue additional plea agreements.
The Aurora Police Department said the broader investigation remains active and urged anyone with information to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP. The department’s full release, including photos and case details, is available on the city’s website via the Aurora Police Department.
