Jose Mendez-Villa is no longer facing charges for his alleged involvement in a shooting at a Peoa party in May.Mendez-Villa was indicted in July and charged with five felony counts of discharging a firearm with bodily injury after Summit County sheriff’s deputies responded to a shots fired call at a short-term rental near Browns Canyon.“The initial officers arrived and saw hundreds of people and dozens of cars trying to leave the scene of the rental party that was the site of a pay-to-play part,” the indictment says. “During the ensuing hours of investigation, officers collected security video footage, 43 shell casings, four firearms, multiple cartridges and 11 cellphones.”Witnesses told deputies there was an argument between the party’s organizers and a group of friends. Based on the security footage, investigators determined the group of friends had been kicked out of the party but returned to the building and began arguing with the organizers.The argument eventually led to multiple organizers firing shots, and the group of friends exchanged gunfire in response.“During the exchange, [another defendant] is struck and hands off his Draco handgun to the man in the blue-flannel shirt who has been following [him] throughout the confrontation,” the indictment says. “The man in the blue-flannel shirt then takes up a position behind the corner of a car and discharges at least five rounds in quick succession downslope at the Friends group.”Mendez-Villa was later identified as the suspect in the blue-flannel shirt.In a justification hearing on Jan. 16, however, Third District Court Judge Richard Mrazik ruled prosecutors had not shown “clear and convincing evidence that the force was not justified,” according to court documents.The case was dismissed, and Mrazik ordered Mendez-Villa’s ankle monitor to be removed. The other defendants in the case — Alejandro Carreno-Romero, Francisco Romero-Fuenmayor and Manuel Pimentel-Gonzalez — have a motion hearing scheduled for Feb. 4.The post Charges dropped against one participant in Peoa shooting appeared first on Park Record.