A 23-year-old man was sentenced to nearly 50 years in prison for killing a man, paralyzing another and injuring a third during a 2025 shooting at Nations Tobin Park in Northeast El Paso.
Robert Joseph Privett of El Paso pleaded guilty on Thursday, June 4, to one count each of murder and aggravated assault causing paralysis and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon as part of a plea agreement, El Paso District Attorney James Montoya announced in a news release.
Judge Patrick Garcia of the 384th District Court sentenced Privett to 47 years in prison on both the murder and aggravated assault causing paralysis charges. Privett was also sentenced to 20 years on the aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge. The sentences will run concurrently.
The shooting resulted in the death of Jose Jesus Gonzalez Jr., left Ethan Alexander Ramos paralyzed and injured Jacob Mathew Gonzalez.
“Our office is grateful this case was resolved swiftly, allowing the victims and their families to see accountability without the delay and uncertainty that necessarily comes with a trial,” Montoya said in a statement. “We will continue to fight to ensure that parks and other public spaces remain safe for all El Pasoans and their families.”
First Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Tarango prosecuted the case for the district attorney’s office.
El Paso park shooting leaves 1 dead, another paralyzed
Privett and the victims planned to meet around 8:45 a.m. on June 20, 2025, at Nations Tobin Park, 8831 Railroad Drive, to collect money Privett owed one of them, the news release and court documents state.
The victims arrived at the park when Privett opened fire at them from outside the vehicle. He fired more than a dozen times before fleeing on foot, the news release states.
Jacob Gonzalez, who was driving the vehicle, sped off and crashed into a nearby tree. Several bystanders who were at the park and witnessed the shooting rushed to help the victims after the crash, the news release states.
Park security camera video showed Privett talking to Ramos before the shooting, a criminal complaint affidavit states. Privett was seen in the video with a pistol.
Several witnesses at the park saw the shooting, including a man walking in the park. The man told police he heard gunshots and saw a man firing multiple gunshots into the side of a red car at the park, “and even saw the smoke coming out of the pistol,” the affidavit states. The witness snapped a photo of the shooter before the gunman fled the scene by jumping a wall.
One of the survivors told a police officer that they had been shot by “Robert Privett,” the affidavit states.
Privett was arrested the same day of the shooting. He remained jailed on a $1 million bond as he awaited the outcome of his case.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso man gets 47 years in prison in 2025 Northeast park shooting
Reporting by Aaron Martinez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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By Aaron Martinez, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
