A local man is now serving a prison sentence for spring 2025 shootings in Winfield that left two people injured.
Fernando Jesus Rodriguez entered guilty pleas in early November to two counts of aggravated battery and was sentenced in December to 96 months in prison. Defense attorneys were allowed to ask for probation under the plea agreement, but Cowley County Dist. Court Judge Nick St. Peter handed down the eight-year prison sentence.
Rodriguez has since been transferred to a Kansas Dept. of Corrections facility in El Dorado to begin serving his sentence. Court records show his earliest possible release date is January 2032.
The case stems from incidents May 28, 2025, when prosecutors say Rodriguez went to two separate Winfield homes hours apart and shot two men with a .22-caliber firearm.
One victim was shot in the leg, and the other was struck in the head, with the bullet deflecting into his shoulder. Both victims recovered.
Additional charges, including attempted first-degree murder, were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
Court records show Rodriguez has a prior conviction for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Cowley County. He served less than a year in prison and was under parole supervision until April 2024.