Woman killed in domestic violence shooting that began outside Westminster hotel

A 36-year-old man forced a woman into an SUV outside a hotel and fatally shot her as they argued, according to an arrest affidavit from the Westminster Police Department.

Jesse Aaron Gladney is charged with first-degree murder in the domestic violence shooting death of 36-year-old Valarie Garcia on Saturday.

A witness called 911 at 8:07 p.m. after seeing a man grab a woman by the neck and tell her to get into a Chevy Equinox at the Super 8 at 12055 N. Melody Dr., according to Gladney’s arrest affidavit. The witness also told police there was another person in the front seat.

Ten minutes later, a witness reported a man shot a woman and she was unconscious near 120th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard in Thornton. Police later found the woman, Garcia, at Platte Valley Hospital in Brighton.

The woman driving the Equinox during the shooting later contacted police and told them Gladney had asked her to pick him up from a hotel in Brighton and told her to keep driving. When they reached the Super 8, he went inside and came out with Garcia.

Garcia and Gladney were arguing and he was pushing her against the car, the woman told police. The argument continued as they got in the car, until Gladney told Garcia to “Shut up or I’ll shoot you.”

A few moments later, the woman reported hearing and smelling a gunshot while she was driving. Gladney told her he shot Garcia and started slapping Garcia and telling her not to fall asleep, according to the affidavit.