Fayette grand jury to review case against man charged in 9-year-old's shooting
The case against a man accused of shooting a 9-year-old boy is headed to a Fayette County grand jury.
Alberto Pinedas Contreras, 28, is charged with first-degree assault in the March 7 shooting.
Contreras' attorney, Franklin Paisley, waived the case to a grand jury during a hearing Wednesday morning in Fayette District Court. The waiver is a routine procedure, and the grand jury will determine whether the assault charge should stand.
The boy, identified by family friends only as Antonio, was wounded in the neck while riding in the back of his parents' GMC Envoy SUV near Russell Cave and Hollow Creek roads.
Lexington police said Contreras allegedly fired several shots at the vehicle while following it along Russell Cave Road. At least one bullet struck Antonio, who was in critical condition for several days afterward.
Justin Hagan, a family spokesman, said Antonio is now making "remarkable strides" since his injury. He is in rehabilitation, but he faces a long recovery, according to an email Hagan sent Tuesday. Hagan helped organize a GoFundMe campaign for the family.
GoFundMe donations are still being requested, Hagan said.
He said the family also is trying to contact WWE wrestling star John Cena in hopes that he will visit Antonio when he comes to Rupp Arena in May. A visit might boost the boy's spirits, "as he is taking it pretty hard," Hagan said in his email.
Authorities so far have not offered a motive in the shooting.
The child's mother, Tara Murillo, had noticed Contreras' white Nissan Maxima parked at her workplace prior to the shooting and she asked him to move it, according to a complaint filed with the district court. Police said Contreras was driving the Maxima during the shooting. A search of the car later turned up evidence "consistent with the assault," the complaint said.
The family had hoped to learn more in Wednesday's hearing about what led Contreras to allegedly fire at the family, Hagan said. Contreras made no comment, and no testimony was taken during Wednesday's hearing.
This story was originally published April 1, 2015 at 9:57 AM with the headline "Fayette grand jury to review case against man charged in 9-year-old's shooting."