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Man Allegedly Opens Fire On Family, Kills Grandmother In Dispute Over Kids Playing In Yard

Jason Arroyo allegedly became enraged at kids playing in a nearby yard so he dumped water on them, sparking a dispute which turned deadly.

By Gina Tron
Jason Arroyo Pd

A Denver man is accused of killing a grandmother and wounding another person in a shooting that stemmed from a dispute about children playing in a yard.

Jason Arroyo, 33, faces murder and related charges for the Sept. 6 shooting, the Denver Post reports.

Arroyo allegedly got upset about kids playing toward the back of an apartment building he was in so he threw water on them, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Oxygen.com.

“That’s when my mom came out and said, ‘Not today! You’re not going to do this with my grandkids,’” Chris Lucero, told KMGH-TV.

Arroyo allegedly responded by going into his home and returning with a black pistol. He then allegedly opened fire on the family. Lucero’s mother Patricia Cruz, 55, and one other person were struck, the Denver Post reports. A conflicting report in KMGH-TV states that three people were shot: Cruz, Lucero and Cruz’s daughter Priscilla, who has autism.

Jason Arroyo Pd

Six shots were fired in total, according to the probable cause statement. 

Cruz succumbed to the gunshot wounds on Sept. 18 at Denver Health Medical Center.

Arroyo allegedly fled the scene following the shooting and was tracked down inside a nearby home's detached garage, investigators said. 

He's been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder, and one count of menacing, a spokesperson for the Denver District Attorney's Office told Oxygen.com over email Friday. It’s not clear if he has a lawyer.

He was scheduled to appear in court on Friday.

Cruz's husband, Richard Casias, told KMGH-TV that his late wife "was everything to me."

“She was my angel. If I could take a bullet for her, I would have.”

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