20-year-old found guilty in deadly Yuma house party shooting

YUMA (AZFamily) — A verdict was reached in the trial of 20-year-old Jose Lopez, one of the teens charged in a deadly 2023 house party shooting in Yuma.

The mass shooting saw more than 30 bullets fired, leaving two young men dead and five other teenagers injured.

The jury returned a verdict after only an hour of deliberations, finding Lopez guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and five counts of aggravated assault.

Over the course of the week, the jury heard testimonies and reviewed evidence from the shooting.

Violence erupted after an altercation, leading to multiple guns being fired at the party and resulting in the deaths of 20-year-old Ande Blackthunder and 19-year-old Danny Garcia.

The jury was presented video evidence showing Lopez holding a gun, and the defense argued that Lopez was trying to protect his cousin and best friend, Danny, one of the victims killed that night.

However, the prosecution’s case proved strong, leading the jury to convict Lopez of first-degree murder.

Lopez’s attorney said they weren’t expecting this outcome.

“Jose just wanted to go to a party and he’s not responsible for the actions of others. It’s a very disappointing result for us, we were expecting something much different,” said Micah Friedman, Lopez’s attorney.

Lopez is just one of three teens charged in the deadly shooting. Aden Arviso and Abrahm Colin are also facing first-degree murder charges, with their cases still making their way through the courts.

Lopez has been in custody for two years and now faces a life sentence.

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