Man charged with shooting a UK student at a party faces new federal charge. Here’s why
The man accused of injuring multiple University of Kentucky students during a shooting at an off-campus party in September is now facing a federal charge connected to the alleged crime, according to court documents.
Jason Almanza-Arroyo, 19, was federally charged with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon “that was in and affecting interstate commerce,” according to a federal indictment. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and forfeiture of the gun used in the shooting, according to court documents.
A grand jury indicted Almanza-Arroyo on the new charge last week.
At the state level, Almanza-Arroyo faces several counts of assault and wanton endangerment, tampering with physical evidence and resisting arrest for his alleged role in the shooting, according to court records. He’s being held at the Fayette County Detention Center and his next court appearance is in March.
In the evening hours of Sept. 7, Almanza-Arroyo and one other individual showed up uninvited to a party hosted by the Theta Chi fraternity in the 200 block of University Avenue, officials said. An altercation ensued and Almanza-Arroyo allegedly fired one shot in the basement of the building.
According to UK officials, one female student was shot in the leg and 10 other students suffered injuries from shrapnel and debris. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
Almanza-Arroyo was arrested later Thursday morning, police said. Court documents say Almanza-Arroyo was spotted by police after the shooting under the influence of alcohol and carrying a loaded firearm.
When confronted by officers, Almanza-Arroyo was cursing loudly, refusing to comply and spit in an officer’s mouth during apprehension, according to testimony by Lexington police officer Greg George.
In December, Almanza-Arroyo was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his involvement in another shooting two years prior.
In April 2020 Almanza-Arroyo and Juan Guerrero-Zendejas, a co-defendant in the case, got into a verbal road rage altercation with two other individuals near Boardwalk and Park Place. Court documents say Almanza-Arroyo and Guerrero-Zendejas pulled up along the driver’s side of the victims’ vehicle and began shooting towards them.
During the shooting, the suspects rammed their Tahoe into the victims’ vehicle, causing it to hit a light pole, a tree and a ditch, according to court documents. The victims awoke to serious injuries and they were trapped inside the vehicle, according to court records.
Almanza-Arroyo and Guerrero-Zendejas were arrested approximately two months after the road rage incident but were later released from jail after they each posted bond, according to court records.
Guerrero-Zendejas was charged with two counts of first-degree assault and two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment. His case is still pending and is scheduled for a hearing in January.
UK fraternity faced discipline following party
While Almanza-Arroyo and Guerrero-Zendejas aren’t UK students, the incident did prompt the university to investigate the off-campus party where the shooting happened to determine if any student conduct rules had been broken.
UK spokesperson Jay Blanton confirmed Wednesday that the university had concluded its investigation. He said UK could not speak to specific student information, but said publicly available results of the investigation were posted on UK’s website.
UK’s website shows that Theta Chi is facing discipline for multiple conduct incidents. One incident landed them on disciplinary probation, which ended last month, after the fraternity was found to have violated alcohol and hazing policies.
Theta Chi is also currently under disciplinary probation and social restrictions for misuse of alcohol and “violations of law or other UK policies,” according to UK’s website.
Reporter Monica Kast contributed to this story.
This story was originally published February 22, 2023 at 1:00 PM.
