Trial begins for Pueblo suspect who shot and killed man with AR-15 rifle in 2023
A Pueblo man is standing trial this week in the September 2023 shooting death of Christopher Salazar.
Steven Vigil, 30, is accused of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder for fatally shooting Salazar and allegedly attempting to shoot another person on the night of Sept. 21, 2023.
According to an arrest affidavit authored by Pueblo police, Vigil allegedly became aggressive and upset when Salazar and another person at the scene attempted to greet him, drawing an AR-15 rifle and cocking it.
It was at this point, prosecutors argued in court Tuesday, that Salazar acted in self-defense, drawing his own handgun. In video evidence presented at an earlier hearing, footage showed that words were exchanged during the confrontation and several shots were fired. The sounds of screaming and the racking of Vigil's rifle were audible in surveillance footage, according to police. However, Pueblo Police Department Detective Ron Gravatt previously testified during a preliminary hearing that the footage's audio and video were likely out of synch.
Gravatt stated that it was difficult to tell who was shooting at different points in the surveillance footage.
During opening statements, Cameron Black, a defense attorney representing Vigil in the case, argued that Salazar shot first, hitting Vigil in the stomach and side from close to point-blank range. Vigil then returned fire, Black claimed, shooting at Salazar "until the threat was gone."
He also argued that Salazar had approached Vigil with his hand on his gun, and that Vigil never attempted to shoot anyone other than Salazar.
Following the shooting, Vigil got in his vehicle, a dark-colored Chevrolet Camaro, and left the scene. However, officers located the Camaro and initiated a pursuit, according to the affidavit.
Two PIT maneuvers were attempted, police said in the affidavit; the first failed, but the second pinned the Camaro to the curb in the 900 block of East Seventh Street.
Police say Vigil exited the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot, but was quickly pinned by officers, subdued with a stun gun, and arrested. Police then noticed that Vigil had suffered a gunshot injury to the abdomen. An AR-style rifle was located by police inside the vehicle.
During an interview with Vigil conducted at a hospital, Vigil stated that he remembered very little of the incident.
Vigil is slated to stand trial for two weeks, concluding on June 3.
More Pueblo crime news: Pueblo man pleads guilty to September 2022 murder sparked by domestic fight
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This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Steven Vigil stands trial for alleged murder of Chris Salazar in Pueblo
