Colorado gunman sentenced for killing roadside panhandler in drive-by shooting
An Aurora resident who fired several shots out his car's window, fatally wounding a transient man who was soliciting drivers at an intersection, recently received a life sentence for the murder.
Randy Jiron, 42, was convicted of the crime by a Jefferson County jury Oct. 18. He was sentenced on the last day of his five-day trial.
Craig Bruce, 52, died following a two-hour surgery on the night of June 20, 2023. A CommonSpirit St. Anthony Hospital trauma surgeon told a Lakewood Police Department detective, per case documents, that a single bullet entered Bruce's right flank and caused "extensive" damage to both kidneys.
Doctors kept Bruce alive long enough for his family to arrive and say goodbye to him, according to Jiron's arrest affidavit. He passed away three hours after the shooting.
Several other drivers witnessed the early evening incident. They described a line of vehicles waiting on the westbound off-ramp from 6th Avenue at the Simms Street/Union Boulevard intersection. After the traffic light turned green for left-turning vehicles, one of the cars slowed as it passed Bruce. Bruce reeled and stumbled away from the car which then sped off southbound on Union.
A male driver two cars behind the shooter's vehicle described hearing three shots. A female driver on the other side of the intersection recalled the same. Both said they saw Bruce collapse and an older red Jeep accelerate away.
LPD detectives matched witness accounts with images from a traffic camera at the intersection to focus their investigation on a red Jeep Cherokee with a black roof, no front license plate, and mud splashes on its front fenders.
A state-wide bulletin was issued that night.
The next day, an officer with the Lone Tree Police Department snapped a photo of a Jeep matching the description -- and its temporary paper license. Through records, investigators could see the Jeep was licensed to Jiron.
Lakewood officers "flooded the area," according to the affidavit, and located it parked outside a tavern in Parker. They followed the vehicle to a residence in Strasburg. Lakewood PD and an Adams County SWAT team surrounded the home. Jiron eventually surrendered.
Jiron's cell phone records showed him in the area of 6th and Simms at the time of the shooting, investigators stated in the affidavit.
Aurora Police had made previous visits to Jiron's residence four months earlier. Officers first knocked on his door after Jiron repeatedly called U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel and told them he heard voices, having hallucinations, and was angered about sex slaves and his allegedly cheating ex-girlfriend, according to the affidavit. The second visit came after Jiron left several threatening messages with the FBI's National Threat Operation Center mentioning mass shootings.
An Aurora officer wrote in his report that Jiron was very volatile, often violent, angers easily, and indicated he would shoot police officers if they continued to show up at his residence.
In his sentencing order, the Jefferson County judge denied Jiron any chance at parole. Jiron is currently housed at the Crowley County Correctional Facility near Rocky Ford.
