EDGEWATER, Colo. — The Edgewater man who opened fire on police and neighbors during a 17-hour SWAT barricade in July 2019 has pleaded guilty to attempted murder.
John Alfonso Cruz Jr., 41, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to multiple counts of attempted murder and attempted first-degree assault. His sentencing is scheduled for April 15, 2020. He faces 21 to 38 years in prison.
The barricade occurred on July 12, 2019 along the 2500 block of Fenton Street, about a dozen blocks west of Sloan Lake. Around 7:30 a.m. that day, a person reported that they had either seen or heard somebody discharging a weapon. When police arrived at the scene, they were found that the shots were coming from 2571 Fenton Street, according to an arrest affidavit. Police tried to contact Cruz, who was inside the house. They were able to evacuate two people — identified as Cruz's father John Cruz, Sr. and the father's wife — from the home. The father told police his son had several weapons with him inside the home.
SWAT was called in. Over the following 17 hours, authorities tried to contact Cruz and get him out of the house, according to the arrest affidavit. Shots were exchanged during the standoff.
The barricade ended at 12:30 a.m. on July 13 when Cruz was arrested.
Nobody was injured.
Cruz was initially charged with 34 counts, include attempted first-degree murder, attempted first-degree assault, menacing, arson, illegally discharging a firearm, possession of a deadly weapon, failure to leave premises upon the request of police and two violent crime counts.
