A man who fatally shot one man and injured several other people in a trio of apparently random shootings in Encanto, Bay Terraces and Spring Valley was sentenced Friday to to 86 years to life in prison.
Jaime Gonzalez, 24, opened fire on seven separate victims during a shooting spree that unfolded on the night of Jan. 27, 2023, over the course of just over an hour, according to prosecutors.
“This defendant terrorized the community by driving to different locations to commit shootings on strangers,” DA Stephan said. “He has been held to account for the cruel and cowardly murder of Raul Rojas Valdez who was shot and stabbed by the defendant, along with the harm he inflicted on other innocent victims including three minors. We hope his conviction and sentence brings a measure of justice to the victim’s family and the community.”
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Gonzalez was convicted in December of five counts of premeditated attempted murder and one count of first-degree murder, according to the D.A.'s office. He was sentenced to 51 years to life murder of Rojas Valdez and drew multiple additional sentences of seven years to life for each of the five other attempted murders.
Police said the victims were targeted at random, with Gonzalez driving up to each group, getting out of his car and opening fire.
Prosecutors said Gonzalez first opened fire on a man on Dovecrest Court in Spring Valley at around 8 p.m. Gonzalez drove up to the man and opened fire from about 10 yards away, but the bullet missed the victim and struck a house, according to testimony.
About 20 minutes later, prosecutors said Gonzalez shot at a group of teenage boys outside the 62nd Street trolley station.
Metropolitan Transit System surveillance footage captured Gonzalez's vehicle driving past the boys as they walked along Akins Avenue. The car then made a U-turn and he got out and started shooting at the teens, who took off running. Three of the boys — all of whom were 15 years old at the time — were wounded by gunfire, according to testimony.
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At around 9:15 p.m., Gonzalez drove by two men standing near an electrical box on Manzana Way, and similarly made a U-turn and stopped next to the men, prosecutors said.
Both men were shot multiple times and one of the victims, Rojas Valdez, died at the scene.
Gonzalez was arrested about a half-hour later on Paradise Valley Road in his parked vehicle, which police said matched the description of the shooter's car.
Investigators said they found an unserialized "ghost gun" inside the car, ammunition in the center console and blood on the center portion of the steering wheel.
Gonzalez's clothing matched witness descriptions of the shooter and spent casings found at each shooting scene matched the caliber and brand of ammunition found in Gonzalez's car, according to testimony.
Prosecutors said on Friday that they believe Gonzalez was targeting people with what he thought to be rival gang associations.
