Shooter Found Guilty, May Never Leave Prison

— A Fayetteville man convicted in the shooting of a police officer and firing at seven others during a standoff at an apartment complex faces up to 271 years and 30 days in prison.

Sergio Hidalgo Andrade Martinez, 52, was arrested March 24 after a standoff that left Fayetteville police officer Blake Williamson with a gunshot wound to the ankle.

Legal Lingo

Sentencing Guidelines

The standards for determining the punishment that a person convicted of a crime should receive, based on the nature of the crime and the offender’s criminal history.

Source: uslegal.com

Andrade was convicted Wednesday of eight counts of attempted capital murder, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of being a felon in possession of a gun, possession of cocaine and possession of drugs and a gun. Andrade faced a total of 24 separate charges plus sentencing enhancements for the use of a firearm during the commission of those crimes.

Washington County Circuit Judge William Storey will sentence Andrade on Tuesday. Storey will decide whether the sentences run consecutively, concurrently or some combination.

“With the number of charges and the violent nature of these charges, I’m assuming the Arkansas Department of Correction is going to keep him a long time,” said Prosecuting Attorney John Threet.

Threet said the case shows the potential danger routinely facing police officers. University of Arkansas police initially tried to stop Andrade, who admitted being drunk, for a seat belt violation but he fled and the situation escalated into a shoot-out.

“This would have been a routine DWI case that turned into one officer being shot and his (Andrade’s) attempt to kill seven others,” Threet said.

At the time, Andrade was free on bond awaiting trial on a felony driving while intoxicated charge and three counts of delivery of methamphetamine.

“UAPD and Fayetteville police did a great job,” Threet said. “Fayetteville police did all they could to protect the lives of the people who lived there, their own lives and the life of the defendant who was trying to kill them. That’s amazing.”

Andrade’s attorney, public defender Scott Parks, said his client deeply regrets his actions and was sorry for the trouble he caused that night. Andrade apologized to Williamson from the witness stand during the penalty phase of the trial.

The defense contended Andrade did not have the intent to kill the responding officers required of the attempted capital murder charges.

“He knew there were police officers out there and his intent was to kill those police officers,” Threet told jurors. “He tried. Intent doesn’t have to depend on the result.”

Police officers testifying Tuesday described profanity-laced threats to kill police if they didn’t leave, and a barrage of gunfire from the Bedford Loop apartment.

Williamson said Andrade stepped out onto a second-floor balcony with a gun.

“He pointed the gun directly at me and started firing,” Williamson said Tuesday.

Williamson returned fire and was moving to a safer cover location when he was hit. Williamson is the first Fayetteville police officer to be shot in the line of duty since 1981.

Andrade fired at least eight rounds, based on the number of empty shell casings found at the scene. One shot an apartment across the street. Police evacuated families from the complex during the shoot-out.

Andrade was eventually taken down with a stun gun by an emergency response team.

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