Man’s bond set at $5 million for shooting 24-year-old in head at Spokane apartment

A 33-year-old man is accused of shooting a man in the head without provocation and killing him early Monday morning at an apartment near downtown Spokane.

Randy R. Chaparro, dressed in yellow Spokane County Jail inmate clothing, appeared Tuesday in Spokane County Superior Court for a second-degree murder charge in the death of 24-year-old Robert Denunzio.

A woman who identified herself as Denunzio’s mother told the court via phone that her son “deserves justice” and was a “good kid.” She said Chaparro should pay the consequences for his actions and be held without bail because he’s a threat to the community.

“My son was an innocent child, and he didn’t deserve to be murdered by the way he was, by this person and for no absolute reason,” she said.

Denunzio died with a gunshot wound to the head and right hand, according to the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office. It ruled the death a homicide.

The motive for the killing is unknown, police wrote in court documents.

Police responded about 3:15 a.m. Monday to the shooting at the Kensington Court Apartments, 24 E. Pacific Ave., owned by Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington.

Officers found Denunzio with a gunshot wound to the head inside one of the apartment units, according to court documents. Denunzio was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center where he died about 14 hours later.

Detectives collected one spent shell casing and a bullet at the apartment.

Witnesses said the suspect ran away.

Officers spoke to the tenant and two visitors at the apartment unit. Denunzio was also visiting.

One of the visitors, an acquaintance of Chaparro and Denunzio, told police she tried to hug Denunzio in the living room when Chaparro, who she identified by the moniker “Chaos,” pulled out a turquoise handgun and shot Denunzio in the face. She said Chaparro then went through Denunzio’s pockets as though he was going to take his property before leaving. She identified Denunzio as “Bubba.”

She said she was with Chaparro for part of the weekend and he made multiple statements that “he wanted to kill someone today,” according to court documents.

She described Chaparro as having tattoos near both eyes. He was wearing a red hat, black “Nike Tech” jacket and a button-up red shirt with a collar. She and the tenant identified Chaparro as the shooter from a photo lineup of six people.

The tenant of the unit told police he was in the bathroom cutting his hair while two women and Denunzio were over visiting. He then heard a gunshot from inside the apartment. He ran outside the bathroom and saw Chaparro in the living room and Denunzio, who he also knows as “Bubba,” lying on the floor.

Chaparro laughed and pointed a gun at him, so the tenant ran from the apartment and sought shelter at a friend’s apartment, the tenant told police.

A manager at the Ridpath Apartments in downtown Spokane told police that a tenant reported Chaparro was in his room at the apartment building, according to court records. Police arrested Chaparro without incident.

Chaparro denied knowing Denunzio, witnesses and being involved in the shooting. Police did not find a firearm in the apartment where he was arrested.

At Chaparro’s court appearance, Spokane County Superior Court Commissioner Eugene Cruz found probable cause for the murder charge, as well as a second-degree assault charge that Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Deric Martin recommended for Chaparro allegedly pointing a gun at the Kensington Court tenant before fleeing.

Martin asked Cruz to set Chaparro’s bond at $5 million based on the statement that Chaparro simply wanted to shoot someone and followed through with it. Martin said Chaparro also has six felonies, including drug, firearm and assault convictions, as an adult and 17 misdemeanors.

Last week, Chaparro posted a $4,000 bond for a pending case where he’s charged with suspicion of unlawful possession of a firearm, according to court records.

Cruz followed Martin’s bond amount requests and set Chaparro’s bond for the murder charge at $5 million and $50,000 for the firearm case.

Chaparro is set for an arraignment Thursday for the murder charge and for trial Jan. 5 for the unlawful possession of a firearm case.

Police ask anyone with information regarding the shooting to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.