DENVER — The man police say was fatally shot during a vehicle break-in in Denver early Friday morning has been identified.
Guillermo Medrano-Sandoval, 26, was found dead Friday afternoon inside a Dodge Charger parked on an Aurora residential street, 12600 East Exposition Drive, nearly five miles east of where the Denver shooting occurred in the 300 block of South Jasmine Street.
Brice Fitch, 24 — the owner of a truck that police say Medrano-Sandoval and an unidentified woman broke into — is accused of shooting and killing the 26-year-old. Fitch was arrested Friday and booked on a first degree murder charge.
Around 4 a.m. Friday, Fitch let his dogs out into his backyard when he heard rustling and noticed his truck's doors were open and the interior lights were on, according to an affidavit obtained by Denver7. He went back inside his South Jasmine Street home, retrieved his AR15 and told another person to call police, the documents read.
Armed with the semi-automatic rifle, Fitch returned back outside and approached Medrano-Sandoval and the woman who were now inside the Dodge Charger, the affidavit read. Fitch told police his gun “accidentally went off” as the Charger drove off, swerving in his direction.
At that point, Fitch told investigators he fired two more rounds at the Charger which he said was stopped mid-block down from his home. Fitch said he feared the two would return and cause him harm, according to the affidavit. The vehicle was last seen traveling northbound on South Jasmine Street. It’s not clear who was behind the driver’s wheel.
About nine hours later, Aurora police responding to a call regarding the parked Charger on East Exposition Drive found Medrano-Sandoval dead inside the vehicle. Police were not able to locate the woman.
Fitch was arrested after investigators went back to his home Friday evening and transported him to DPD headquarters for questioning.
Anyone with information regarding this crime is asked to call the Denver Police Department at (720) 913-2000 or Crime Stoppers at (720) 913-7867.
