Overview

• The 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said Xavier Garcia, 17, was sentenced on Sept. 26 to the Colorado Department of Corrections.
• Garcia pleaded guilty on July 28 to second-degree murder in the killing of 19-year-old Joseph Martinez.
• The shooting occurred on March 23, 2024, inside the Victory Grange rental hall on North Tower Road during a large party.
• According to prosecutors, a nearby fight preceded the shooting as Garcia approached Martinez, pulled a handgun, and shot him.
• A second male was wounded and later released from the hospital, and Garcia was charged as an adult in Adams County as DA Brian Mason condemned the violence as another example of youth gun violence.