DENVER (KDVR) – An affidavit for the arrest of the alleged teenage shooter accused of killing a woman in Westminster last month shows the victim was in the area cleaning out an Adams County DMV office.
The woman, now identified as Maria Ines De Luna Ojeda, 34, was found shot inside her car in the 8400 block of Decatur Street on Oct. 27 shortly before 8 p.m., and was taken to a local hospital, where she died from her injuries, the Westminster Police Department said.
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 they believe Romero was the shooter, while Fernandez was driving the getaway car.
Ojeda was in the area to clean the Westminster DMV office located in the mall between Decatur Street and Federal Boulevard.
According to Fernandez’s arrest affidavit, surveillance footage collected from the DMV showed the shooting. Ojeda was seen throwing trash while her car was parked nearby with the headlights on and the driver’s side door open.
As Ojeda was returning to her car, another car pulled into the parking lot without headlights and stopped next to the janitor’s car. A male suspect was seen exiting the passenger side of the suspect vehicle and immediately pointing a gun at Ojeda.
As Ojeda was reversing her car, the suspect fired through the driver’s side window, then fired three times into the windshield. The suspect then fled the area in the vehicle, which was driving without headlights.
The suspect vehicle was later found abandoned near the intersection of 88th Street and Clay Street. The car was registered out of Thornton, and police interviewed the car’s owner about it.
The car’s owner is Fernandez’s father. The father reported his car stolen the day after the shooting, and police later discovered that Fernandez had apparently been driving without permission for some time. Fernandez had previously lost his driver’s license and the suspicious vehicle was able to evade Denver police.
After searching the suspect vehicle, police found a Glock pistol that was actually a gas-operated BB gun. Officers also found two receipts, one of which was from a dispensary bearing Daniel Romero’s fingerprint. Police also reviewed surveillance footage from the dispensary to confirm Romero’s alleged involvement.
Romero was interviewed at the police department and said their goal was to steal De Luna’s car, the affidavit said. He said he shot the woman and was afraid she would run him over, which is contradicted by surveillance footage. Romero said they were planning to steal the car and were going to force De Luna out of the car, and admitted Fernandez was driving the car when the shooting occurred.