A Colorado man, Efren Sanchez, was sentenced to more than a thousand years in prison after shooting into a local bar back in 2022. Reportedly, Sanchez felt “disrespected” by one of the bar’s customers, prompting the shooting.
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According to the Greeley Tribune, Sanchez was sentenced to 1,016 years in prison on Friday, June 13, 2025. Previously, he was convicted of 50 counts of attempted murder, that is, two counts for every customer present at the bar during the shooting.
Sanchez received 48 years for each of the two customers whom he injured and 40 years for each of the other 23 customers.
Reportedly, the incident took place at Ranch El Corazon, located on East 18th Street in Greely. On August 13, 2022, Efren Sanchez felt “disrespected” after an interaction with one of the customers inside. As a result, Sanchez would return to he establishment with a rifle and shoot more than 30 rounds into the bar.
“He shot bullet after bullet, causing panic and pain,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Pirraglia said during closing arguments, as per CBS News. “These are innocent victims with forever reminders of the defendant’s actions.”
‘A Fair Sentence’
During the trial, Sanchez asked for the minimum sentences, calling a much more severe sentencing “cruel and unusual punishment.”
However, Weld County District Court Judge Vincente G. Vigil seemed to disagree. Vigil said that it was “only by dumb luck” that no one died during the 2022 shooting.
“This is a just sentence,” Vigil said in court.. “This is a fair sentence and it’s the only sentence the court could impose.”
Chief Deputy District Attorney Anthony Perea compared Sanchez’s actions to those carried out by other Colorado mass shooters. This sentiment was shared by Vigil, which ultimately handed out the 1,000+ year sentence to Sanchez.
“There was no need to get anything close to this,” Vigial said. “I’m shocked nobody died.”
While lives were lost in the incident, its effects are long-lasting. While reading a victim impact statement, Perea revealed that Rita Baltazar, who was hit in the leg by Sanchez, has since suffered continuously from panic attacks, depression, and anxiety.
Should Sanchez appeal, he will be represented by an attorney with the public defender’s office.