Maricopa man sentenced to 13 years in prison for assault with a deadly weapon

U.S. District Judge Neil V. Wake on Feb. 25 sentenced Bernett Steven Lopez, Jr. to 13 years in prison for an assault with a deadly weapon.

The shooting occurred in April when Lopez and several friends were hanging out and drinking beer in a home located in the Ak Chin Indian Community.

Lopez according to the incident report was severely under the influence of alcohol and told two male subjects he “he felt like they were surrounding him.”

He then told the subjects, “he was going to roll out.”

However, instead of leaving the party, Lopez pulled out a 40-caliber handgun and shot one of the men in the chest. The victim suffered serious bodily injury, requiring multiple surgeries and hospitalization for approximately one month.

There was no known provocation or motive for the shooting, according to officials.

The defense attorney in the case argued at sentencing that the defendant was highly intoxicated.        

The investigation was conducted by the Ak-Chin Police Department and the FBI.  The prosecution was handled by Sharon Sexton, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.