An Austin man who opened fire on a mother and her two young daughters, letting off 28 rounds into their vehicle, has been handed a 12-year prison sentence after striking a plea deal. Melinda Hipolito, the mother, and her daughters were caught in the gunfire while attempting to help a family member out of a domestic situation. According to KVUE, Hipolito described the harrowing event, saying, "You just heard metal and tons of glass was flying from every direction. So, I initially thought that he or someone was throwing rocks at my car."
During the shooting, Hipolito's daughters, Mila and Scarlett, sustained serious injuries. Scarlett was reportedly shot through the back of her legs while Mila suffered a gunshot wound to the head. "She was bleeding a lot, a piece of her head was missing," Scarlett recalled in a statement obtained by FOX 7 Austin, having to witness the severe injury to her sister. On Devon Alexander Loper's part, the assailant with a noted criminal record, the plea deal on an aggravated assault charge brings the possibility of parole after six years of his sentence.
"Instead of us being the victims, they were like, 'You went to a domestic violence situation. This is your fault. You should have known better, regardless if they've just been arguing or whatever. You took your kids with you, and that's just a no-no,'" Hipolito told KVUE, expressing a sense of betrayal over the sentence's perceived leniency.
The district attorney's office defended the sentence. "This sentence was more than twice the average for these charges in the past two administrations at the DA's office," the Travis County District Attorney's Office stated, in a statement obtained by FOX 7 Austin. Despite their assertion that careful evaluation went into the decision, Hipolito and her daughters remain fearful. "I feel like we're not safe, and sometimes I wonder if he gets paroled and decides to get out and he might come back for us," Scarlett mentioned in her interview with KVUE.
Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Texas carries a sentence ranging from a minimum of 5 years to a potential life sentence. Hipolito, echoing a sentiment of injustice, told FOX 7 Austin, "This isn’t justice. This isn’t fair." The family argues that the district attorney has failed in his duty to protect the public and ensure justice. Mila, the youngest victim, stated her disillusion succinctly: "I think that he’s a bad man that lets criminals go."
