DENVER — One of two women charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old girl in Denver's Five Point's neighborhood in March 2022 was sentenced Monday for her role in the crime.
Gabrielle James, 24, pleaded to an accessory charge in February and on Monday was sentenced in Denver County District Court to 10 years in the Department of Corrections. She was accused of hiding the weapon used in the shooting inside a vacuum cleaner.
James and Shardae Rideaux were both arrested for the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Za'Riyah Thomas who was killed around 2:12 a.m. on March 7, 2022, near 26th and Welton Streets in Denver.
Court documents indicate that Za’Riyah and a group of friends were inside The Roxy Theatre.
An employee of the venue said that shortly before midnight there was a fight near the bathroom involving several women over an unknown issue, the affidavit says. The employee said that one of the people involved was bleeding and reported that most of the people involved were pushed out the front door onto Welton Street.
She reported that the group went toward 26th Street where she thought they continued fighting because shortly after she heard gunshots from that direction, according to the affidavit.
The employee said she then locked down the business for the safety of the employees and customers still inside.
Most of the shooting was caught on camera, according to an arrest affidavit from Denver Police. According to the document, Rideaux is seen exiting a vehicle and firing a gun toward Za’Riyah who was near another vehicle.
Za’Riyah was shot in the chest and was driven to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Rideaux is charged with first-degree murder and is currently scheduled for trial in October.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Investigations & Crime