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At approximately 3 p.m. on Friday, December 5, as we've reported, Westminster police were dispatched to England Park, near Raleigh Street and 72nd Avenue, on a report of a shooting. There, they found one man dead -- he's now been identified as Hector Castillo, 21 -- and another (Aaron Castillo, 25) seriously wounded.Within hours, a juvenile had been taken into custody, but his name wasn't released owing to his age. However, that changed once 17th Judicial District DA Dave Young decided to charge Israel Maestas as an adult.
Maestas's Facebook page uses both his given moniker and his nickname, Lil Doobie. Included are a series of self-portraits, including this one....
...and this one.... ...and this one: No comments on the case are publicly viewable on Maestas's page. However, a friend of his posted this:I love you brotherr i hope i see you somtime soon i know you were just defending your self fuck the system man he shoulda got self defense see you on the other side keep it G for m.Young has accused Maestas of second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a defaced firearm, possession of a handgun by a juvenile and carrying a concealed weapon. The teen made his first court appearance yesterday, and according to 7News, he's being held on a $100,000 bond. His next court hearing is December 19. Until then, at least, the arrest affidavit will remain sealed and Young is offering no additional comments.
Continue to see our previous coverage of the murder at Westminster's England Park, including photos and video. Original post, 6:47 a.m. December 9: A lot more questions than answers remain in a shooting at Westminster's England Park on Friday. We still don't know the identity of any of the main individuals involved in the incident: the person killed, the individual wounded or the juvenile taken into custody in relation to the crime. But the details that have emerged thus far remain disturbing.
At about 3 p.m. on Friday, December 5, according to the Westminster Police Department, emergency dispatchers learned about a shooting at England Park, near the intersection of 72nd Avenue and Raleigh Street. Here's an interactive graphic showing the area near the scene; if you have problems seeing the image, click "View Larger Map."View Larger Map
Upon their arrival, the report continues, officers found one adult male dead at the scene. He'd been shot, as had another adult male who was transported to a nearby hospital with injuries that are described as serious. Meanwhile, Westminster and Hidden Lake high schools, both of which are not far from England Park, were placed on lock-out as a precaution.
As for what happened, the WPD says reps received reports about a fight in the park involving several people before shots rang out. Those who could then fled the scene but left a weapon behind.
A couple of hours later, around 5 p.m., what the WPD calls a "person of interest" was taken into custody. Like the decedent and the injured man, the suspect hasn't been identified. However, the department's public information officer tells us the suspect is a juvenile, which suggests that his name will remain off the public record unless he's charged as an adult. She confirms that the juvenile remains in custody.
At this writing, the name of the victim remains unreleased as well, despite the passage of several days. We've reached out to the Adams County coroner's office on this matter.
Here's a 7News report from shortly after the shooting.
Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.
