1st Degree Murder Charges Filed Against Neshan Johnson And 14-Year-Old Juvenile Suspect In Shooting Death Of Pamela Cabriales

DENVER (CBS4) - Denver District Attorney Beth McCann has charged a 14-year-old juvenile and Neshan Johnson, 18, with the murder of Pamela Cabriales. Cabriales, 32, was shot in the head while sitting in her vehicle on Feb. 20 at Colfax Avenue and Interstate 25 in Denver.

Cabriales suffered at least one gunshot wound to the head. Denver police arrested Johnson in connection with the shooting. He remains in custody on two counts of first-degree murder, criminal attempt to commit assault in the first degree with extreme indifference and vehicular eluding.

The juvenile, who remains unidentified, faces two counts of first-degree murder, criminal attempt to commit assault in the first degree with extreme indifference and two counts of the sentencing enhancing charge of being an aggravated juvenile offender. The Denver DA has filed a motion to charge the juvenile as an adult.

Cabriales leaves behind a 6-year-old son. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help secure his future.

According to police documents, Johnson was seen by a witness exiting a dark-colored, four-door Honda, walking up to the passenger side of the woman's 2008 Range Rover, firing more than six rounds into it, and then returning to his vehicle which continued west on Colfax Avenue. This happened at 10:45 p.m. Feb. 20 while both vehicles were westbound on West Colfax above Interstate 25.

Police officers found the injured woman's Range Rover sitting in the right lane. They found eight bullet holes in the windshield and two shell casings in the street in front of the car.

One minute past midnight, DPD Officer Katie Phillips found the dark-colored, four-door Honda going north on Federal Boulevard near Exposition Avenue. Phillips, who had investigated a shooting at a McDonald's restaurant's drive-thru the previous evening, recognized the vehicle from the restaurant's surveillance images. The license plate also matched, per DPD's documents.

Phillips followed the suspect vehicle and eventually began a commander-authorized pursuit when it did not pull over.

As it traveled north on Tejon Street, the Honda crashed into a large wooden pole, hit a fire hydrant, and slammed through a chain-link fence. The vehicle came to rest in the front yard of 1595 West Byers Place. Officer Phillips reported three males got out and ran from the car.

DPD officers locked down the area and found Johnson hiding behind a shed a few houses away. More than a dozen rounds of ammunition had been thrown inside the shed, per police documents.

In the back seat of the Honda, police found two AR-15 rifles. Two juveniles also in the Honda were arrested.

In the Feb. 19 incident at McDonald's, a passenger exited a Honda after arguing with a drive-thru employee and pointed a handgun at several employees. He fired three shots into the restaurant before the Honda, which was reported stolen out of Aurora, drove off. No one was injured.

That Honda is also believed to be involved in a northeast Denver shooting the night before.