DENVER (KDVR) — The arrest affidavit for an alleged teen shooter accused of killing a woman in Westminster last month shows that the victim had been in the area to clean the Adams County Department of Motor Vehicles office.
The woman, now identified as Maria Ines De Luna Ojeda, 34, was found shot inside her vehicle in the 8400 block of Decatur Street on Oct. 27 just before 8 p.m. She was taken to a local hospital, where she died from her injury, the Westminster Police Department reported.
Details of what led to her death were shared in an arrest affidavit obtained by FOX31 on Friday after police arrested 19-year-old Daniel Romero and 24-year-old Michael E. Fernandez Jr. in connection with her death. Police said that they believe Romero was the shooter, while Fernandez drove the getaway vehicle.
Ojeda had been in the area to clean the Westminster Department of Motor Vehicles office located in the strip mall between Decatur Street and Federal Boulevard.
According to the arrest affidavit for Fernandez, surveillance footage gathered from the DMV showed the shooting. Ojeda could be seen throwing out trash with her vehicle parked nearby, headlights on and the driver’s side door open.
As Ojeda walked back to her car, another vehicle entered the parking lot with no headlights on and pulled up next to the janitorial worker’s vehicle. A male suspect was seen exiting the passenger side of the suspect vehicle and immediately pointing a handgun at Ojeda.
As Ojeda backed her car up, the suspect fired through the driver’s side window, then shot three times through the windshield. The suspect then fled the area in the vehicle that was being driven without headlights.
Later, the suspect vehicle was found abandoned near the intersection of 88th Avenue and Clay Street. The car was registered out of Thornton, and police interviewed the vehicle owner about the matter.
The vehicle owner is the father of Fernandez. The father reported his vehicle was stolen the day after the shooting, and police later discovered that Fernandez had been driving the vehicle seemingly without permission for some time. Fernandez had previously lost his driver’s license and the suspect vehicle had eluded Denver police.
After searching the suspect vehicle, police found a Glock handgun that was actually a gas-powered BB gun. The officers also found two receipts, including one from a dispensary that had a fingerprint from Daniel Romero. Police also reviewed surveillance footage from the dispensary to confirm Romero’s alleged involvement.
The affidavit said that Romero was interviewed at the police department and said the pair’s goal was to steal De Luna’s car. He said he shot at the woman and was afraid she would run him over, which conflicts with the surveillance footage. Romero said they were planning to steal the car and were going to forcibly remove De Luna from the car, and admitted that Fernandez had been driving the vehicle when the shooting occurred.
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