Prosecutors say a man repeatedly shot two of his roommates with BB guns, beat one with a wooden walking cane, and even coerced a child into participating in one of the assaults before continuing the attack himself.
The criminal case against Pancho Villa Flores, born in 1971, is now moving forward with an arraignment scheduled for Aug. 5.
He faces one felony count of aggravated assault and battery, one felony count of child abuse and two misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment.
The allegations, detailed in affidavits filed by the Cheyenne Police Department, describe two victims who investigators say were assaulted days apart.
Multiple BB Wounds
Police first became involved after officers responded to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center to speak with a man who arrived by ambulance.
Investigators documented puncture wounds across his back, buttocks, knees and right calf. Both knees were red and swollen, and hospital staff told police several BBs remained embedded in his body.
The man told officers Flores shot him repeatedly over several days using BB rifles.
"It hurt like a sonofabitch," he told investigators.
He said the shots to his knees were the worst and left him unable to walk for a time.
The man also told police he was afraid to report the shootings because he feared Flores would "beat him up or kill him in retaliation."
The affidavit says the man had been living with Flores for about seven months. He told investigators Flores held power of attorney over him, received his Social Security benefits and deducted rent and other expenses before giving him what remained.
He said he was "lucky" if Flores gave him between $50 and $100 each month from those benefits and complained he had received only $20 that month.
When officers later went to Flores' residence, they reported seeing two rifles that appeared to be BB guns through the open front door. Police photographed the weapons from outside the home, then returned to the hospital, where the man identified them as the guns Flores used.
'Blow A Cap In His Ass'
According to court documents, Flores denied shooting anyone.
Instead, he told investigators a juvenile identified only as L.R. had shot both him and his roommate.
But the child's account was dramatically different. L.R. told investigators Flores had bought him fishing and camping gear and recently took him camping.
After returning home June 21, the child said he was lying in the front yard when Flores came outside and claimed the man had failed to complete chores.
Flores then told the child he needed to "blow a cap in his ass," shows the affidavit.
L.R. told police he refused, but said Flores responded by threatening to shoot him instead.
The child told investigators Flores then fired the air rifle into his back, striking him just left of his spine and above his left buttock.
Afraid of being shot again, L.R. said he took the rifle and went into the basement, where Flores again instructed him to shoot the man.
The child told investigators he was crying as Flores laughed.
Not wanting to seriously injure the man, the child said he intentionally shot him in the buttocks and calf.
Flores then took back the rifle and allegedly continued shooting the man in the knees and back.
Second Roommate Hospitalized
Less than a week later, detectives contacted another roommate at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center.
He told investigators Flores assaulted him several days earlier after accusing him of stealing whiskey.
Flores allegedly forced his way into the second roommate's bedroom and struck him on the head with a wooden walking cane.
The man said his head "bled a lot," but he did not lose consciousness.
The next day, he told investigators Flores returned, entered his bedroom without saying anything and shot him in the lower back with a BB rifle while he was in bed.
At first, the man did not seek treatment.
Over the next several days, the wound allegedly became red, swollen and increasingly painful.
He eventually went to the hospital June 25, where he was admitted for treatment of the infection. He remained hospitalized when detectives interviewed him June 29.
Investigators observed a healing cut on the man's head they said was consistent with his account of being struck by the cane.
They also documented a circular wound on his right flank where he told police doctors removed a BB.
He told them another BB remained lodged in his muscle and would require surgery to remove.
Case Moves Forward
After the July 17 preliminary hearing, a judge found sufficient evidence to bind Flores' case over to district court.
He is charged with aggravated assault and battery, child abuse and two counts of reckless endangerment.
The two felony charges each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison under Wyoming law. The reckless endangerment charges are misdemeanors punishable by up to one year in jail.
Flores is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday, Aug. 5 in Laramie County District Court.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
