EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A second defendant was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his involvement as an accomplice in the 2023 shooting outside of an East-Central bar that left two people dead and four injured.
2 arrested in bar shooting that killed 2, injured four others
Aaron John, 25, pleaded guilty to murder and attempted capital murder on Friday,
Aug. 21, in the 384th District Court, before Judge Patrick Garcia, according to a release from the District Attorney's Office.
As KTSM 9 News previously reported, an incident occurred on July 13, 2023, in the parking lot of the Ditzy Duck Bar, located on Airway Boulevard.
2 dead, 4 seriously injured after fight leads to shooting in East El Paso
James Nicholson, 26, his girlfriend Alexa Retana, 27, and a group of their friends and family were on the bar's patio when an argument led to a physical altercation, officials said.
Surveillance video obtained from a nearby bar showed co-defendant Andrew James Williams, who was 20 at the time of the incident, opening fire on the group.
Williams previously pleaded guilty to murder and attempted capital murder and was sentenced to life in prison in July 2025.
Nicholson and Retana died on the scene, and four others were wounded.
John was also armed at the time of the altercation, firing his own weapon into the air and then at prospective witnesses, the District Attorney's Office said.
Both defendants were soldiers at Fort Bliss.
"This senseless act of violence claimed two lives, left four others wounded, and forever changed
the course of two families' lives," said District Attorney James Montoya. "While these
prosecutions can never undo that loss, they ensure that both men who fired weapons that night
are held accountable for their respective roles in this tragedy. I want to thank the Nicholson and
Retana families for their patience and strength throughout this process."
El Paso Police Department Crimes Against Persons and Crime Scene Units investigated the case.
District Attorney James Montoya and Assistant District Attorney Linda Estrada represented the
State of Texas in the prosecution of this case.
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