KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) — A former Walmart employee who pleaded guilty to firing a gun in the store's parking lot has been sentenced to five years of deferred adjudication, likely avoiding prison time in an incident that sparked active shooter fears in the Katy area.
The shooting happened at the Walmart store located on Morton Ranch Road at Highway 99.
Read our coverage of the January 2025 incident here.
District Judge Colleen Gaido sentenced Armando Soto, 22, of Katy, to community supervision after he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of deadly conduct - discharge firearm, according to court records.
The January shooting at the busy Katy Walmart shopping center rattled local shoppers. No one was injured in the incident, but the gunshots prompted Harris County deputies to respond to what they initially believed was a developing and ongoing active shooter situation.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez described Soto as a disgruntled former employee.
"He went into the store, was escorted out, and fired shots towards the freeway." Gonzalez said at the time of the incident.
Court records show prosecutors recommended reducing Soto's original charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. However, Soto refused prosecutors' recommendation of a two-year prison sentence for the deadly conduct charge, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Soto was arrested by deputies after being pulled over near the scene a short time after the incident.
"Deputies acted swiftly, conducted a traffic stop," Gonzalez said shortly after the event.
If Soto violates his supervision terms, which include reporting to an officer, abstaining from drugs and attending anger management courses, his sentence could be revoked, resulting in prison time—a common condition in Texas deferred adjudication cases involving firearms.