COLUSA, CA (MPG) – The Sacramento man who shot his co-workers from the backseat of a vehicle traveling on Interstate 5 last June was sentenced to more than 36 years in prison on three counts of second-degree attempted murder.
Royer Delgado, 31, showed little emotion as his sentence was handed down in Colusa County Superior Court on May 8, but he smiled and waved to a large contingency of family and friends as he was led out of the courtroom in shackles.
One of his victims, who remains partially disabled, was not present for the hearing but spoke to the court about the incident through a Victim Witness Advocate, stating he continues to feel intimidated by Delgado’s family nearly one year after the shooting that changed his life forever.
The reason for the shooting remains shrouded in mystery as the driver, Jesus Lopez, had testified there was nothing that provoked Delgado’s systematic shooting of the three men, who got along well on the job.
The four men were driving back to Sacramento from a construction job in the Red Bluff area when Delgado opened fire, striking Lopez in the head, just behind the ear. He also fired a bullet into the head of front seat passenger Emerson Gomez, who remains in a vegetative state and unable to walk, talk, or care for himself, according to his mother, whose statement was read into the record by an advocate.
While the Colusa County Probation Department described the shooting as “unfathomable,” Special Prosecutor Matthew Beauchamp had another explanation.
“It was evil,” Beauchamp said.
Following the shooting, Lopez, who managed to pull the work truck over to the side of the road to escape. Jose Duarte-Felix, who was sitting in the back seat next to Delgado, was shot as he leaped from the vehicle.
Delgado then moved into the driver’s seat and sped off at a high rate of speed as Lopez called 911. Officers from the Williams CHP spotted and attempted to stop the vehicle a short time later while it was still in Colusa County, but Delgado did not yield and engaged the officers in a vehicle pursuit, law enforcement officials said.
About 10 minutes later, Woodland Area CHP officers deployed a spike strip just south of the Dunnigan Rest Area, which caused the disabled vehicle to come to a stop, with Gomez, who was gravely insured, still inside.
The CHP said Delgado tried to flee on foot but was quickly captured, arrested, and returned to Colusa County.
Gomez’s mother, who lives in El Salvador, said she was able to travel to California to be by her son’s side until her temporary Visa expired, and hopes to return in June.
Gomez is not expected to fully recover from his injuries.