Man faces deportation after prison for 2017 shootings

A man who injured a 7-year-old girl when he went on a shooting rampage with an AR-15 rifle in North Austin in 2017 was sentenced Friday to nearly nine years in prison.

Rolando Martinez, a Mexican citizen who had been living in the country illegally at the time of the Nov. 4, 2017, attacks, will be deported when he completes his time behind bars, U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel announced.

Speaking softly to the court, Martinez apologized for his actions during what he had previously told investigators was a drunken fit of rage of which he has no memories. Authorities say Martinez was responsible for seven gun-related incidents in the span of two hours. Three people were injured, and Martinez shot at or threatened several others.

Martinez's lawyer, Bristol Myers, said his client "was seeing enemies that weren't there."

The first incident happened before 2 a.m., when police responding to an unrelated call in North Austin say they heard gunshots at El Nocturno Nightclub on North Lamar Boulevard. Five minutes later, a man called 911 to say someone had shot into his vehicle about 4 miles from the club near Interstate 35 and Airport Boulevard.

In the third incident, police say a 7-year-old girl was shot in the head while riding in a vehicle with two adults, who were also injured. Myers said he has learned through prosecutors that the girl has mostly recovered but will have some degree of physical impairment going forward.

On the night of the shootings, police say Martinez also pointed a rifle at people at a convenience store and threatened two others in a separate incident. In yet another incident, a woman reported that a man, later identified by police as Martinez, followed her in a vehicle and rear-ended her at a stoplight. The woman was with her 4-year-old son.

The Lone Star Fugitive Task Force tracked Martinez to a home in the 500 block of Middle Lane in North Austin and took him into custody.

Martinez's lawyer worked out a punishment agreement with federal prosecutors in exchange for him pleading guilty to one count of possessing a firearm, which was illegal because of his undocumented status. Martinez, 27, had been living in the United States since he was 4 and attended schools in Austin, Myers said. He was employed as a plumber at the time of the shootings and had children.

The 106 months he must serve is based on a 10-year sentence that credits Martinez for the time he already has spent behind bars after his arrest. He also has pleaded guilty in Travis County state District Court to five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and will be sentenced April 4. Myers said he has reached a deal with prosecutors for Martinez's punishment on those charges to run concurrently with his punishment on the federal case.

As part of the plea agreement, Martinez must surrender his firearms and pay $2,240 in restitution to his victims. After his release from prison and deportation, he will be under the court's supervision in Mexico for three years.