Amarillo Man Who Fired Illegal Machine Gun at House Party Pleads Guilty

Editor's note: A previous version of this article stated that no one was injured in the shooting; in fact, two people were injured, and both suspects still face aggravated assault charges in Potter County. It also misspelled the defendant's name (Azaiah Zuniga-Valle) and misstated details of his arrest. These have been corrected.

A young man in Amarillo recently pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing a makeshift machine gun following a shooting that took place during a house party.

The House Party Shooting

The event took place on March 22, 2026. This was when the Amarillo Police Department responded to a call of shots fired at the 300 block of South Mississippi Street.

This residence happened to be the location of a house party, and officers immediately questioned witnesses upon arrival. Investigators learned that the one who organized the party, KJ, had asked another attendee, 20-year-old Azaiah Nathaniel Zuniga-Valle, to leave after he was seen carrying a rifle.

After Zuniga-Valle left the residence, a hail of bullets immediately struck the house. Video footage from a partygoer's phone showed Zuniga-Valle holding the rifle. The footage captured the weapon with its receiver open and an attachment installed inside that appeared to be an auto sear device — the component that allowed the rifle to fire as a machine gun.

Video surveillance of the street also showed Zuniga-Valle hiding behind an SUV before firing multiple shots at the house. An arrest warrant was then obtained for Zuniga-Valle.

He Tried Fleeing to Walmart, But Was Arrested

Two days later, on March 24, Zuniga-Valle was alleged to have pointed a gun at another man and forced him at gunpoint to drive him to a Walmart in Hereford. Hereford police were dispatched to the Walmart parking lot, where Zuniga-Valle was sitting in the front passenger seat of a parked car.

The 20-year-old was taken into custody and a Glock pistol was located under the driver seat. Zuniga-Valle admitted to officers that after the shooting he traded the rifle he had used for the Glock, then hid the pistol under the seat when he saw officers approaching.

Zuniga-Valle's Side of the Story and Sentencing

Zuniga-Valle claimed that, after the verbal altercation with KJ at the house party, he heard shots fired as he left the residence. This was when he returned fire with his makeshift machine gun.

Two people inside the home were injured in the shooting. Zuniga-Valle remains in federal custody until his sentencing takes place and faces up to 10 years in federal prison on the machine gun charge.