TRINIDAD — Late Monday night, the Trinidad Police Department announced they have made an arrest in the cases involving explosive devices, one of which left a man critically injured when it exploded.
With the help of the ATF and the Pueblo Bomb Squad, Trinidad Police said they arrested Jonathon Ryan Armijo of Trinidad for two incidents involving explosive devices, with the first being on Feb. 5 outside a Walmart store.
According to an arrest affidavit, the victim, in that case, found a small box that looked like a present outside his camper in the Walmart parking lot. When he forced the box open with a tool, it exploded.
That victim was identified as Ronald Garcia. He suffered injuries to his face and ear.
The second explosion, which happened on Feb. 8 in an apartment complex parking lot, left Diego Hurtado barely holding onto life. It left his loved ones searching for answers.
It had been four years since Shaun Rino-Velasquez, who told News5 he is Hurtado’s brother, saw Hurtado.
“He had just barely got back to town because he was in the halfway house for a while,” Rino-Velasquez said. “My brother, he’s young, he’s full of life.”
That's why on Sunday, he wanted to make the most of the first day the two had back together again.
“We went for a walk, went to the park, went to the skate park,” Rino-Velasquez said.
But he couldn’t escape that nagging feeling.
“Something just started hitting me,” he said. “And I didn’t know what it was, but now I know.”
He knew what it was shortly after the two went their separate ways for the night.
“We got the call that he got blown up,” He said. “And I’m, you know, like what?”
As Hurtado walked through an apartment parking lot in the 300 block of E North Ave., he picked up a box.
“And the box said ‘mommy and daddy’s wedding rings’ on it,” he said. “Him being the kid he is, he just opens it, and it just detonates on him.”
Rino-Velasquez rushed to Hurtado's aid.
“And I’m screaming, I’m like, brother what’s wrong,” he said. “He hears my voice and he’s standing there and he looks at me, he shows me his hand. He lost all his fingers on his right hand.”
Hurtado was ill in the hospital to remove shrapnel from his head Monday afternoon.
“He’s in really critical condition, they said he might not make it,” Rino-Velasquez said. “But I think he will. He’s strong. He’s a really strong kid.”
And now the question remains--why?
“For someone to make a bomb like that, to target a kid like that, that’s wrong,” he said. “That’s just very evil. That's just sick and demented.”
Armijo is facing counts of Criminal Attempt First Degree Murder and two counts of Possession/Use of an Explosive Device.
Trinidad Police are also questioning a second party of interest. They do not believe there is any threat to the public at this time.
