DENVER (AP) A judge on Monday denied a request to reduce the bail for Luis Mendoza, who is charged with shooting and injuring Denver Broncos wide receiver Josh Reynolds last month. Prosecutors argued that Mendoza had followed Reynolds and two other men into a strip club and later trailed them out, before opening fire on their SUV.
“This was a violent, brutal attack on Denver County residents,” said prosecutor Holly MacDonald, urging Judge Andre Rudolph to keep Mendoza’s bail at $300,000. “This was a coordinated assault on three victims, with Mendoza playing a central role in orchestrating the attack.”
At least 30 shots were fired into the vehicle carrying Reynolds and his companions, MacDonald added. Mendoza’s attorney, Beth Drombroski, argued for his release on bond, citing his responsibilities as a caregiver to his 8-year-old daughter and his wife, who is set to undergo major surgery, according to *The Denver Post*.
Mendoza, 35, and Burr Charlesworth, 42, face multiple charges, including six counts of attempted murder, assault, and other felonies. They are next scheduled to appear in court on December 16.
A third person was arrested last week on charges of attempting to influence a public servant, a misdemeanor, police told *The Post*.
Reynolds was shot on October 18 after leaving Shotgun Willies, a strip club in Glendale, at around 2:45 a.m. Mendoza, along with others in at least three vehicles, pursued Reynolds’ SUV before opening fire, McDonald said. The SUV, a Ford Bronco, was disabled by gunfire on the side of Interstate 25, and Reynolds and the other two men fled before calling 911.
Reynolds was shot in the left arm and in the back of the head, while another victim was struck in the back, according to court records. A third individual suffered injuries from broken glass. All three men also sustained scrapes from climbing over a fence to escape the scene.
The Broncos described Reynolds’ injuries as minor, though head coach Sean Payton noted that he was “pretty shaken up” by the incident.
Reynolds, who was placed on injured reserve after breaking a finger during an October 12 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, was not with the team when the shooting occurred in New Orleans.
In his ninth NFL season, Reynolds is in his first year with the Broncos, after signing a two-year, $9 million contract last offseason. He has played in five games, starting once, and has recorded 12 catches for 183 yards and a touchdown.
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