EAGLE GROVE — It was just past bar time early Sunday morning when the jackhammer rhythm of 6 or 7 gunshots in rapid succession smashed through the light chatter of patrons exiting the Nuevo Jalapeno nightclub after a night of dancing and celebration. In the middle of the street in front of the club, a jilted paramour had punctuated his anger at being rejected by firing his handgun into the night sky, after a young woman he'd been eying all night refused to leave with him.
And then, pandemonium. A friend of the victim — quite a big man — charged the gunman, disarming him. The two fought in the street near the opposite curb, directly in front of the office of the Eagle newspaper. The gunman, identified by multiple witnesses on the scene as 18 year old Delwin Alexis Guerrero Santos of Hampton, was quickly subdued by the larger man. Due to allegations of threats, the Eagle is not identifying the victim or her protector for the sake of their safety.
In the confusion of the moment several patrons of the bar, also looking to intervene to prevent violence, mistook the much larger man in the conflict for the assaillant and worked together to pull the two apart. That gave Guerrero Santos the chance to escape.
Witnesses reported Guerrero Santos had left the scene in a silver or blue Ford passenger car. He was later apprehended by the Hampton Police Department as the passenger of a Ford Focus, giving officers a fake name. On the floor of the vehicle the arresting officers found aluminum shell casings, just like investigating officers on the scene found on the sidewalk in front of the Eagle Grove Senior Center.
Guerro Santos faces five charges: Reckless Use of a Firearm (a simple misdemeanor), Assault While Displaying a Dangerous Weapon (an aggravated misdemeanor), Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon – injure/provoke fear (a class C felony), Unauthorized Possession Offensive Weapons (a class D felony), and Disorderly Conduct – Fighting/Violent Behavior (a simple misdemeanor). Additionally, according to officer Leland Williams who first responded to the scene, the Immigration and Nationalization Service has placed a deportation hold on Guerro Santos, who is an undocumented immigrant.
A Wright County Sheriff also responded to the 911 call. Fortunately, there were no serious physical injuries, however the victim was severely distraught and in fear of her life.
Note: Full disclosure — these events took place directly in front of our offices as I was working late. I placed the 911 call which brought officers to the scene, and I witnessed most of the facts of this report personally.
