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An Albert Lea man pleaded guilty Monday in Freeborn County District Court to the shooting of another man last May on Louis Street in Albert Lea.

Javen Juan Moreno pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon as part of a plea agreement with the Freeborn County Attorney’s Office. A second count of ineligible person in possession of a firearm will be dismissed.

Moreno, 20, reportedly shot another man in the leg after he tried to intervene when Moreno and Moreno’s girlfriend were arguing. The victim reportedly tried to get them to leave the residence. The victim and Moreno reportedly began to argue because Moreno did not want him involved in the argument.

Witnesses then reportedly saw Moreno pull out a gun from his backpack and then heard him slide the gun and then shoot it. The victim was transported to the emergency room at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and then sent to Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

Moreno was standing in the middle of the street at the time of the shooting but fled afterward, according to witnesses. He was arrested after a traffic stop a few weeks later on Interstate 90 west of Bridge Avenue.

The plea petition filed with the court stated the defendant is free to argue for a departure from the sentencing guidelines, while the prosecutor is free to argue for an execution of the sentence.

The plea agreement also calls for restitution, if requested.

Sentencing is slated for June 21.