WILLMAR -- As Denise Ybarra called 911, the bullets started flying.
On July 22, Ybarra called the police department to report the trailer she had lived in had been fired upon. Ybarra and her family had moved out of their Regency Estates West trailer after being threatened and were living with her father at 1410 Gorton Ave. N.W.
A recording of that 911-call was played Tuesday in the second day of the jury trial of Jose Armando Padilla, 25, of Granite Falls.
As Ybarra speaks with the dispatcher that night, she screams. Then the call breaks into a cacophony of gunshots. The dispatcher can be heard yelling "get down, get down."
Padilla is accused of taking part in two drive-by shootings: the first at Ybarra's former trailer home and the second at the Gorton Avenue residence. Padilla is one of four people charged in the drive-by shootings. He is facing two counts of second-degree attempted murder - drive-by shooting, one count of first-degree assault - great bodily harm, two counts of dangerous weapons - drive-by shooting and one count of receiving stolen property.
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Prosecutors say Padilla shot a 30-06 rifle during both shootings. A bullet fragment that hit Dalia Sonora-Barrientos, Ybarra's step mother, in the left hand and breast were from a 30-06, according to testimony.
In testimony Tuesday, it was learned that Padilla and Ruben Ybarra got into an argument in July about a stereo stolen from the Ybarras' home. While at a barbeque, Ruben Ybarra complained about his stereo being stolen and said something derogatory. Padilla thought Ruben Ybarra was talking about him and got angry, Denise Ybarra testified Tuesday. Padilla then head-butted Ruben Ybarra, making his nose bleed. Padilla also threatened Ybarra and his family.
A few days later, Ruben Ybarra ran into Padilla. Ruben Ybarra tried to calm the situation between he and Padilla, but Padilla got angry again and threatened to kill Ruben Ybarra and his family, Ruben Ybarra said Tuesday. Scared, Ybarra went directly back to his trailer, got his wife and daughter, and fled to Denise Ybarra's father's home.
Shortly thereafter, the trailer was fired upon, according to testimony.
Then, on July 22, the trailer was again fired upon. Tuesday, Willmar Police Officer Pete Dobransky testified that one of the bullets from that shooting went through the entire length of the trailer. Photos showed the bullets were aimed at the bedroom of the home, where the Ybarras and their 8-month-old child slept. The jury was also shown photos of several bullet holes in the Gorton Avenue residence.
The Ybarras left the state under police protection after the shootings.
Witnesses said that they'd seen the vehicle Padilla was in at both drive-by shootings. Ruben Ybarra said he saw the purple van, in which Padilla was later pulled over, stop in front of the Gorton Avenue home. None could say whether they saw Padilla fire a weapon.
