A Richfield man who admitted to fatally shooting his cousin during a fight outside a Bloomington home last year has been sentenced to 261 months in prison, nearly 22 years, with credit for 485 days already served. The victim's family says it is dissatisfied with the outcome and had expected the case to go to trial.
Exon Alfonzo Sanchez Garzon, who was 18 at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the killing of 24-year-old Andy Tapia Negrete, according to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS. CBS News reported the sentence as more than 21 years for the fatal shooting of his cousin.
The shooting happened on June 22, 2025, at a house on the 200 block of West 92nd Street in Bloomington, per CBS News. Tapia Negrete's uncle told police that a group of young men had been hanging out and drinking on his driveway, and the station's report notes that an argument among the group escalated into a physical fight.
What Surveillance Footage Reportedly Captured
According to the same account, Sanchez Garzon arrived at the gathering with others, one of whom punched Tapia Negrete. As detailed by mncrime.com, surveillance video reportedly showed Tapia Negrete sitting in a chair and being punched several times before Sanchez Garzon himself punched several people and pulled a handgun from a cross-body bag. KSTP and FOX 9 reported that he fired about three shots toward the victim, paused, then stepped back and fired five more rounds, striking Tapia Negrete three times.
Witnesses told investigators that the fight broke out before Sanchez Garzon opened fire and fled the area, according to FOX 9. Tapia Negrete suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Accounts of what happened next differ: the Star Tribune reported that officers attempted life-saving measures but declared him dead at the scene, while KSTP reported he was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead there.
Arrest Came the Same Day
Sanchez Garzon was found and arrested later that same day in Mounds View, FOX 9 reported. His girlfriend told police she had picked him up in Minneapolis, and she said he was crying and told her he had killed his cousin — a statement she relayed to investigators, per FOX 9's reporting.
Tapia Negrete's mother expressed deep dissatisfaction with the sentence, the station's report states. The family said they believed the case would go to trial and had expected to present evidence there, rather than see it resolved through a guilty plea.
Minnesota law sets a maximum penalty of up to 40 years in prison for second-degree unintentional murder, according to the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes.
