3 arrested in connection with drive-by shooting that left passerby injured in Colorado Springs

The Colorado Springs Police Department arrested three individuals for their involvement in a drive-by shooting that injured a man caught in the crossfire, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Gazette.

On the evening of Sept. 2, officers responded to the 2100 block of Delta Drive on the city's southeast side after Ricardo Maldonado was shot while in his car.

Maldonado was not involved in the shooting and was struck in the shoulder by a bullet while driving past two groups shooting at each other.

Last week, the Police Department issued warrants for Joseph Ortiz, Christopher Wiggins and an individual whose name was redacted from the affidavit on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder and several other charges.

The affidavit states that law enforcement were able to connect Ortiz and Wiggins to the shooting because of the car that was used during the shooting and during an alleged armed robbery earlier in the day.

Police say that on the day of the drive-by shooting, Wiggins along with others robbed a man at a motel on South Nevada Avenue and fled in a Lexus. Approximately five hours later, that car was spotted at the scene of the shootout.

Through the car, police were able to arrest Wiggins on robbery charges and obtained a warrant to access data on his phone. The affidavit lists text conversations between Wiggins and Ortiz that police allege identify the pair as having been in the car during the shooting, including messages about clearing shell casings out of the vehicle and Google searches for where to repair car windows.

Wiggins and a man named Amir Guillory — who was arrested in connection with the robbery but is not believed to have been involved in the shooting — were identified in the affidavit as being affiliated with a gang called RFMB 476.

After his arrest on robbery charges, Wiggins told police he was shot at in his vehicle but never returned fire. Police say in the affidavit Wiggins' description of events does not match the surveillance video evidence of the shooting.

A man and a woman who were in the groups involved in the shooting — at least one of whom fired at least four shots at Wiggins and Ortiz — have yet to be identified by investigators, according to the arrest affidavit.

The affidavit states it is not clear who fired the shot that struck Maldonado.

Wiggins and Ortiz made their first appearances in court on Wednesday and will return on Oct. 23 for filing of charges from the District Attorney's Office. Both were arrested on suspicion of two counts of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree assault.

Wiggins and Ortiz are in custody at the El Paso County jail on a $100,000 bond and $50,000 bond, respectively.