Second suspect in party shooting charged
The second man arrested in connection with an incident in which another man allegedly fired a pistol into a crowd of 17 people after an argument has also been charged for his part in that altercation.
A criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Yuma Justice Court charged Macario Yepez Vallejo Jr., 26, of Yuma, with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon upon a minor.
Vallejo, who is out of custody after posting bond, also allegedly fired shots as part of the altercation. He was arrested Friday and booked into the Yuma County jail.
“The state believes that the evidence at trial in regard to this action will reveal that Mr. Vallejo did fire first,” said prosecutor William Katz of the Yuma County Attorney's Office. “Mr. (Nicolas) Amarillas came back later on, 20 to 30 minutes later and fired his weapon at persons in the party.”
Vallejo was arraigned before Justice of the Peace Greg Stewart, who asked him if he needed the court to appoint him an attorney or could he afford his own. He told the judge he would be hiring his own.
The judge also scheduled Vallejo's next court date — a preliminary hearing — for 4 p.m. Dec. 12.
The prosecution also asked that Vallejo's bond be increased, but since he was already out of custody, having already posting bail, the judge denied the request, asking the prosecution to schedule a bond modification hearing instead.
According to the Yuma County Sheriff's Office, on Nov. 24, Vallejo and Nicolas Amarillas, 44, were at a party at a residence in the 12500 block of South Drysdale Lane when they got into a dispute over an ice chest.
Witnesses say Vallejo allegedly pulled a firearm and fired three shots into the ground in front of Amarillas as part of the dispute. Amarillas then left the party and later allegedly returned with a weapon of his own, which led to the original call and Amarillas' arrest.
However, some of the first witnesses deputies questioned about the incident did not mention that Vallejo had also drawn a weapon, which is why he was not arrested until several days later.
Amarillas, who is out of custody after posting a $67,500 bond, has been charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854. Find him on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/YSJamesGilbert or on Twitter @YSJamesGilbert.
