Judge denies bail reduction for man charged with shooting, injuring Denver Broncos wide receiver
FILE - Denver Broncos wide receiver Josh Reynolds (11) reacts to a play on the sidelines against the Las Vegas Raiders during an NFL football game Oct. 6, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Bart Young, File)
DENVER (AP) — A judge denied bail reduction Monday for a man charged with shooting and injuring Denver Broncos wide receiver Josh Reynolds last month after prosecutors said the suspect had followed Reynolds and two other men into a strip club and followed them out before firing shots into their SUV.
“This was a violent, vicious attack on the citizens of Denver County,” prosecutor Holly MacDonald said in asking Denver County Court Judge Andre Rudolph to maintain Luis Mendoza’s bail at $300,000 cash. “This was a coordinated, organized assault on three victims, largely with Mr. Mendoza being the one coordinating this attack.”
At least 30 rounds were fired into the vehicle carrying Reynolds and his companions, MacDonald said.
Mendoza’s attorney, Beth Drombroski, argued that Mendoza should be released on bond so he could care for his 8-year-old daughter and wife, who is about to undergo a life-altering operation, The Denver Post reported.
Mendoza, 35, and Burr Charlesworth, 42, are charged with six counts of attempted murder, assault and other felonies. They are next due in court on Dec. 16.
A third person was arrested last week on suspicion of attempting to influence a public servant, a low-level felony, police told the Post.
Reynolds was shot on Oct. 18 after he left Shotgun Willies, a strip club in Glendale, at about 2:45 a.m.
Mendoza and people in at least three vehicles chased Reynolds’ SUV before dozens of shots were fired into the Ford Bronco, McDonald said. The Bronco was disabled by gunfire on the side of Interstate 25 and Reynolds and the two other men ran before calling 911.
Reynolds was shot in the left arm and the back of the head, and another man was shot in the back, court records said. A third victim was wounded by shattered glass, and all three of them were scraped from climbing over a fence, court records said.
The Broncos characterized Reynolds’ injuries as minor, but coach Sean Payton has said he was “ pretty shaken up.”
Reynolds was placed on injured reserve after breaking a finger in an Oct. 12 game against Las Vegas, which is why he was not with the team in New Orleans on the night of the shooting.
Reynolds is in his ninth NFL season and his first in Denver after signing a two-year, $9 million contract last offseason. He’s played in five games with one start and has caught 12 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown.
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