In the pre-dawn hours of February 8, 2021, a sequence of events at Haraf's Market in Commerce City, Colorado, culminated in the death of 24-year-old James Anthony Martinez. The incident began with a suspected burglary at the convenience store located on Belle Creek Boulevard. Martinez was one of several individuals allegedly involved in the break-in.
Their activities triggered a burglary alarm, awakening William Paul Schuette, a 20-year-old man residing in an apartment directly above the
market. Schuette told authorities he was startled and frightened by the sounds from downstairs, particularly because of a recent attempt to kick in his own door. He claimed to have shouted at the individuals in the store to stop before retrieving an AR-style rifle.
From a landing outside his apartment, Schuette opened fire on the fleeing suspects as they got into a Volkswagen sedan. Martinez was struck twice by the gunfire, causing him to lose control of the vehicle, which then crashed into several parked cars down the street. When Commerce City Police arrived, they found James Anthony Martinez deceased inside the crashed car.
William Paul Schuette was taken into custody at the scene, and the rifle used in the shooting was recovered from his apartment. He was subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder. The case proceeded to a six-day trial where Schuette was ultimately convicted of second-degree murder by an Adams County jury. On October 20, 2023, he was sentenced to 28 years in the Department of Corrections for the death of James Anthony Martinez.
