Guilty Plea In Denver McDonald's Parking Lot Fatal Shooting

DENVER, CO – A man accused in the 2017 fatal shooting of a teen in a westside McDonald's parking lot pleaded guilty to murder, the Denver District Attorney's Office said.

Francisco Gonzalez, 22, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Thursday. He was charged in November with first-degree murder. He faces a prison sentence of up to 48 years, the DA's office said.

On Nov. 24, 2017, Gonzalez shot Steve Soledad-Lopez, 17, in the fast food restaurant parking lot in the 2800 block of West Alameda Avenue after a fender-bender and an altercation where Gonzalez accused the victim of bumping his car in the crowded parking lot.

Gonzalez, and a group of friends, fled the scene after the shooting. A few days later, Gonzalez tried to escape the state by boarding a Greyhound bus to California. Officers with a warrant for his arrest took him into custody Nov. 28 in Las Vegas at one of the bus's scheduled stops. He was extradited to Colorado and has been held in the Denver county Jail since Dec. 20 on a $500,000 bond.

Gonzalez is scheduled for sentencing on Sep. 7.

Related: Nabbed In Las Vegas: Man Charged In Fatal Denver Shooting

Image via Denver District Attorney's Office

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