‘Justice for Diamond’: Supporters speak out ahead of Pueblo Riverwalk shooting sentencing
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- For the first time since she was nearly killed in a shooting near the Pueblo Riverwalk, we're hearing directly from Diamond Sanchez.
The 13-year-old spoke out ahead of her shooter's sentencing hearing tomorrow. Diamond is doing okay — but her family tells me she’ll never be the same after last summer’s shooting.
Today’s march was filled with emotion and anxiety as friends, family, and community members gathered to show support for diamond ahead of tomorrow’s sentencing.
"Diamond strong! I did it!" said Diamond Sanchez.
Friends and family carried handmade signs, waving them in the air as they marched and chanted together along city sidewalks.
Many are saying they wanted to show the community standing behind Diamond.
"Why did this happen to me, why?" said Sanchez.
Diamond still carries the scars from the shooting near the Pueblo Riverwalk in July of 2025, her family and friends telling me she will never be the same.
"Why would Romello do such a horrible thing to a young child who had her whole future ahead of her?" said Desiree Gallegos, Diamond's mother.
Romello Hernandez pleaded guilty in early December to attempted murder in connection with the July shooting that left Diamond Sanchez with life-threatening injuries.
During a previous court hearing, a judge explained that Hernandez faces a possible sentence of 10 -30 years in state prison as part of his guilty plea. However, because Hernandez is 18 years old, he could instead serve 1-6 years in the Youthful Offender System (YOS) if the Colorado Department of Corrections determines he is eligible.
In the lead-up to his Jan. 22 sentencing, Hernandez’s attorneys have been working to have him placed in YOS. Meanwhile, Diamond’s family is urging the court to impose a prison sentence.
“They need to look at him as the heartless, careless monster that he really is,” said Diamond’s father, Dominic Sanchez. “Because that’s what he really, truly is when he pulled the trigger on my 13-year-old daughter and tried to kill her.”
Hernandez has no records of prior criminal convictions, though he does have a separate open case for child abuse. The youthful offender system is designed to rehabilitate young offenders, something Romello is eligible for.
"This ain't a joke, people, we need this justice system to come together and make a change," said Dominic Sanchez.
KRDO just got a development from the family, and the sentencing has now been pushed to February 2nd. Tomorrow, Hernandez will be in court but only for a setting hearing.
We reached out to the Pueblo District Attorney’s office for comment, but they told us they cannot speak until after sentencing.
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