A woman whose estranged husband is facing felony charges for allegedly pointing a shotgun and shooting at her while she was running away says she wishes he hadn’t been so nice for so long.

Alina Gaona wondered if her estranged husband, Oscar Gaona, was following her for weeks.

One morning he woke up to find his truck tire punctured with three identical marks. Just as she was beginning to wonder if he was plotting against her, he finally convinced her to stay away from their apartment, tricked her into going home, and shot her with a shotgun.

Alina told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday that the evidentiary affidavit filed in Oscar’s aggravated assault case describes only a small portion of what happened on Oct. 9 when Sheridan County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested Oscar at gunpoint.

It’s getting worse

The couple had been together for 14 years and married for nine years. Alina said they had been friends for 30 years, but their marriage began to break down about 18 months ago.

Alina, who said they broke up in June, noted that this was different from the affidavit’s claim that they were still “broken up” on October 9.

He said they lived separate lives and also avoided staying together in their Sheridan apartment. He often stayed with his mother. Alina added that she doesn’t know or think about where Oscar stays when he’s not around.

He finally started looking for a new home in the nearby town of Buffalo in October.

He said Alina wanted to host her daughter at home after sending her high school-aged daughter to the Sheridan city limits to stay with her father during separation conflicts with the girl’s stepfather, Oscar.

However, Alina said that she tried to be nice to Oscar and not let him down easily. He tried to persuade her to negotiate a divorce with him, but she did not file at that time. Alina, who describes herself as the breadwinner, said she was concerned about his financial and emotional health.

He now regrets being so lenient.

“I don’t blame myself as a victim. “I realized how many things could change the situation and probably not end up that way,” he said.

She’s now filed for divorce and obtained an order of protection, but she’s still terrified at the idea of ​​Oscar being released from prison.

Ghost Truck

During the cold weeks of autumn, Alina thought she often saw Oscar’s truck drive past her workplace and pass by while he was spending time with his friends.

But he remembered telling himself that it was just a truck like Oscar’s and that everything was fine.

On the morning of October 9, Alina was scheduled to start work at a local bar and restaurant. He also said he worked as a property manager in Sheridan.

The front driver’s side tire of his truck was flat. He arrived late for work, pulled out a full-size spare and changed the tire. She took the flat tire to an auto repair shop in the city, and the workers told her they couldn’t fix it: According to Alina’s interview, the tire had three identical holes that looked like screwdriver holes.

The tread on the other three tires was worn out and winter was approaching. Alina bought a complete set of new tires.

Still, he said he debated with himself about whether the puncture marks had anything to do with Oscar.

A Magnificent Cheeseburger

He finally got to work and busied himself with cleaning the bar and restaurant; here he came out to a co-worker who was also a family friend.

“I told her, ‘I feel like he’s following me,'” Alina recalled. “’When I saw your truck, it was like it was him.’”

The woman and Alina came to the conclusion that no one in Alina’s life would puncture her tire with a screwdriver.

“There is no other drama in my life, there is no one who would want me to be sick,” Alina said.

Alina left work at 4:30 that afternoon. It was oddly warm in Sheridan, about 80 degrees, and Alina decided to visit the “wonderful” food truck run by Crazy Woman Saloon and collect her thoughts on a mushroom Swiss cheeseburger.

He dodged a group of men making noise on the porch and took his burger inside, where the bar was quiet. He thought. He called his mother.

She remembered that Alina tried but couldn’t tell what Oscar was thinking or planning.

Alina said when she came to the conclusion that Oscar was following her, she burst into the bar’s side door, yelling and demanding to know who he was there with.

Alina responded by saying that she was eating alone; He said he asked Oscar to leave. The bartender asked him to leave and he did.

The cheeseburger didn’t taste the same after that.

“Everyone who walked in after that, I was staring at the door,” he said. He felt nervous and went to a different restaurant to meet his friends.

Text Wall

Also that afternoon, Oscar continued texting Alina, according to a screenshot of text messages Alina sent to Cowboy State Daily.

“I had to stop by the house,” he wrote. “There’s no one home. I guess you went for a walk?”

In another, “Or has someone come to get you?” he asked.

He asked if there was sellotape anywhere and added: “I’m done. I wish you a good life.”

She bid him farewell and said, “Your lack of response tells me everything I need to know.”

According to the screenshot, Oscar sent a message at 7.40pm saying he was going to the city.

Alina was worn out.

She felt like Oscar was tricking her into going home by insisting he wasn’t there. She said she asked a male friend to give her a ride home, adding that she now wishes she could call a Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office deputy to meet him there.

Alina said she would forward the request for comment to her friend, but refused to name her friend as she was also a victim of the case.

The friend did not contact the outlet by press time.

No Trucks though

As her friend pulled into the driveway and dropped Alina off, Alina relaxed a little: Oscar’s truck wasn’t in the driveway.

He said his truck was parked behind the building and he didn’t know Oscar was sitting on the porch waiting.

He got out, confronted her, ran up the stairs and shouldered a loaded shotgun with surprising speed, she said.

This is Alina’s 12-gauge gun, which she keeps under her bed in an unused bedroom. His other weapons, including a high-powered rifle and a double-barreled shotgun, had been left locked in a safe to which only he had the key during the couple’s earlier confrontations.

But he said he forgot about the 12 gauge because he never kept it loaded.

According to his interview and court documents filed in the case, Oscar pointed his shotgun at Alina’s friend’s truck from the apartment balcony.

Alina said her friend, who offered to stay and confront Oscar before telling her not to, was already back in the car on the highway, completely oblivious.

But Alina added that she saw the gun and ran.

A single gunshot was heard, according to court documents.

Oscar came out of the building, caught up with Alina and tried to drag her home. This is a detail not included in the affidavit because, according to him, he was red with stress when giving his statement to the police.

Alina kicked Oscar and he ran away into an irrigation ditch behind a tree line. He believes Oscar lost sight of him when he dived into the running water.

On the Other Side of the Door

He then noticed his truck lurking in the area as if he was looking for it. When he lost sight, he ran to his house, locked his metal door, and spoke to a 911 emergency dispatcher. He said he watched through the window as the truck crawled toward the apartment.

Alina said Oscar was yelling, pulling on the door, punching the door and demanding to talk to her, even though the key was still somewhere.

“It’s on the other side of the door,” Alina recalled crying and telling 911. “He’s going to walk through this damn door.”

That’s when Sheridan County Sheriff’s deputies approached the home, found Oscar outside and greeted him with spotlights and drew their guns before arresting him, Alina said.

The Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation on whether their weapons were drawn. The affidavit does not say the deputies had their guns drawn, but it does say Oscar’s hands were in the air and he was unarmed at that point.

Oscar told deputies he did not want to fire the gun, the affidavit said.

“Alina doesn’t believe it,” he said.

Oscar continued to text Alina during MP meetings, according to a screenshot of the messages he sent at 9.47pm, six minutes after MPs arrived.

“I feel like an idiot for this,” he wrote. “I’m sorry. I would never have pointed that at you, and I shouldn’t have done it to scare anyone. I think I ended it myself.”

Parts

Alina cried intermittently throughout her interview with Cowboy State Daily.

Misses Oscar’s kids: She said she removed herself from the blended family’s group text after she obtained a protective order against Oscar.

And Oscar has no idea if he’ll be in jail or prison for the long haul. Each aggravated assault he faces is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, but lighter sentences and probation may also be options, depending on the case details and the court’s findings.

Alina moved to Buffalo. He said he’s busy with his job and has a great support network.

Oscar’s attorney, Stacy Kirven, did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit and Alina’s statement on the matter by press time Wednesday.

Clair McFarland can be reached at [email protected].