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08/02/2006
Omaha man pleads guilty in shootings of two teens at C.B. gas station

Chad Nation , Staff Writer

An Omaha man pled guilty and was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years in prison for the shootings of two Omaha teenagers on June 10 at the Sinclair station on 24th Street near Interstate 80.

Roberto Lamadrid-Campuzan, 18, pleaded guilty to intimidation with a dangerous weapon, going armed with intent, criminal gang participation and two counts of reckless use of a firearm resulting in serious injury.

The shooting was gang related. Lamadrid-Campuzan told officers that he is currently a member of the MS-13 gang in Omaha and has been for about four years.

On June 10, MS-13 gang members were at Eddy's on 24th Street and found out that members of 18th Street gang were in the Sinclair parking lot. People from both gangs began displaying gang symbols and yelling at each other at approximately 1:30 a.m.

Lamadrid-Campuzan said that he saw two Hispanic males from the 18th Street gang pull out shotguns, so he pulled a handgun out of his right front pocket, pointed it at the two males and began firing.

Chief Deputy Pottawattamie County Attorney Jon Jacobmeier said that review of a videotape from the scene showed that the two males never pulled a weapon.

Jose Jacinto, 15, was shot in the left hip, and a rescue squad took him to the University of Nebraska Medical Center where he was treated and released.

Shortly after the first report of the shooting, police were called to the Creighton University Medical Center where a carload of people arrived with Edgar Ramirez, 17, who had been shot in the back.

On June 15, members of Immigration and Customs Enforcement picked up Lamadrid-Campuzan on federal charges and transported him to Pottawattamie County Corrections.

Jacobmeier said that three of the charges would be served consecutively, resulting in a 25-year prison sentence for Lamadrid-Campuzan. One of the reckless use of a firearm resulting in serious injury charges and the intimidation with a dangerous weapon charge, both Class C felonies carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years, will be followed by a five-year maximum sentence for the Class D felony of going armed with intent.

None of the charges is a forcible felony, so there is no minimum amount of time that will have to be served. However, Jacobmeier said that Lamadrid-Campuzan would be deported to his native El Salvador upon completion of his prison term.

Several other MS-13 gang members who were at the scene the night of the shooting still face similar charges.

Jacobmeier said that the sentencing and the aggressive pursuit of charges should send a message that the county is taking a strong stance on gang activity.

"This conviction is a fair warning to gang members who cross into our county and commit a crime," Jacobmeier said. "You will go to jail. We cannot tolerate these types of gangs wreaking havoc in our community."