ELBERT COUNTY, Colo. — A 49-year-old Parker man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for a bizarre and violent 2024 gun attack on a longtime friend.
An Elbert County district judge sentenced Richard Szabelski on Friday after he pleaded guilty to second-degree assault as a crime of violence in connection with the July 2024 incident.
The attack followed a Red Rocks concert where the friend allegedly made an inappropriate gesture toward Szabelski’s wife.
Prosecutors said an armed Szabelski showed up at the friend’s house in rural Elbert County later that night and fired at least one round into the air.
Moments later, the friend confronted Szabelski outside the home where the 49-year-old attempted to shoot the friend, but the gun jammed.
Szabelski then physically assaulted the friend and s