A man was sentenced to 21 years in prison after being convicted of shooting his father in the hand with an AK-47 rifle.
Robert Reinfeld, 42, was found guilty Aug. 12 in 22nd Judicial District Court of second-degree assault and reckless conduct with a weapon. His sentence was enhanced because he used a semiautomatic assault weapon.
The shooting occurred July 29, 2023, at a residence on Road L.
According to the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to Southwest Memorial Hospital after a report of a gunshot wound. The victim was Reinfeld’s father, Frederick Reinfeld.
Frederick told deputies his son shot him in the palm of his right hand around 2 a.m. with an AK-47. He said Robert entered the living room and confronted him about watching too much television and blamed him for the death of his mother.
After briefly leaving the room, Robert allegedly returned with the rifle, loaded a round, and pointed it at his father’s chest. When Frederick tried to push the muzzle away, the gun discharged, sending a bullet through his hand.
Robert drove his father to the hospital but crashed his 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer into a stop sign en route, according to reports. At the hospital, Frederick asked staff not to allow his son inside. Robert was asked to leave and complied.
Deputies later found Robert’s abandoned vehicle at Road 25 and Road L with a blown tire, broken passenger window, and keys on the ground. He was arrested near his home after emerging with suspected blood on his face and clothing.
He was initially arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault and attempted second-degree murder.
A search of the residence revealed a blood trail from the living room – where a spent shell casing was found near a bloodstained lounge chair – to a bedroom containing a gun safe. Inside the safe, deputies recovered an AK-47 rifle with blood and fingerprints on it.
At 6:27 a.m., Robert reportedly sent a text message to a woman stating, “I just shot my pops with a n ak …”
Authorities said Robert had previously assaulted his father, resulting in a protection order prohibiting contact with Frederick.
