Accused person receives a 40.5-year prison term close to two years following a fatal shooting at Loveland apartment complex

In Loveland, Colorado, a defendant who was a minor at the time of a fatal shooting in 2023 at a local apartment complex has been given a lengthy prison sentence related to the incident.

The incident happened on Jan. 20, 2023, at the Brookstone Apartment Homes near 2500 East 1st Street, according to the Loveland Police Department.

According to law enforcement reports, two individuals emerged from a white Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck and fired shots into 18-year-old Nasier Graham’s vehicle, resulting in his death. The two suspects then fled the scene in Graham’s car, with the truck trailing behind.

As they attempted to escape in the stolen vehicle, the suspects lost control on icy roads and collided with another car on the opposite side of the apartment complex. This led to a confrontation where two additional teenagers were put in grave danger. Among the two teens involved, a 16-year-old, who remains unnamed, was shot and suffered severe injuries.

Investigators said the suspects did not know Graham.

• Watch our initial coverage below

2 teens shot, 1 dead at Loveland apartment complex; 3 suspects at large

Three teens were arrested in connection with the crime. Since they were juveniles, Loveland police only identified them as 15-year-old boys from Greeley.

In an announcement Thursday, the 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office identified one of the involved parties as Oscar Perez, Jr.

According to the DA’s office, Perez was transferred from the juvenile court to the adult criminal justice system following a successful motion by prosecutors. The DA’s office called the transfer “extremely rare in the 8th Judicial District and a decision we do not make likely.”

“However, for crimes this serious, the juvenile justice system is simply nowhere near sufficient to hold defendants appropriately accountable, recognize the value of life, and protect the community,” the district attorney’s office said in its Thursday release.

On Oct. 14, 2024, Perez pleaded guilty to second-degree murder (Class 2 felony), two counts of attempted second-degree murder (Class 3 felony) and menacing (Class 5 felony).

Perez was sentenced on Thursday to 40.5 years in the Department of Corrections. The sentencing also encompassed a guilty plea for an attempted robbery that occurred on Jan. 15, 2023, according to the DA’s office.

Denver7 spoke with Graham’s family after his death. They described the 18-year-old as true, funny and always there for everyone who needed help.

One of his fellow students described Graham as a “kind-hearted, people-person” who had big dreams when it came to football.

“He enjoyed spending time with his friends and playing football. He was well-known at school for football. He had big plans for that,” she said in January 2023. “He cared a lot about people’s emotions and their mental health and just keeping the group of people he was around lively. It’s kids you grow up with and something you don’t expect in the community you find so safe.”