A woman who stands accused of being the shooter responsible for a fatal 2025 New Year’s shooting allegedly told Colorado Springs police it was an accident.

Colorado Springs police detective Ashton Gardner testified that defendant Brandy Cantu, 27, told him that she didn’t mean to fire off the round that killed 35-year-old Andrea Martinez outside a home in the 5800 block of Oakwood Boulevard at around 12:30 a.m., Jan. 1, 2025, on the city’s northeast side.

“She ultimately stated that she didn’t mean to hurt anybody,” Gardner said during questioning by prosecutor Jeffrey Harwood.

The new details in the case came to light Monday at Cantu’s preliminary hearing, where Judge Hilary Gurney ultimately decided there was enough evidence to proceed in charging the defendant with second-degree murder.

It took investigators over 18 months to find a shooting suspect.

In addition to the confession, Harwood questioned Gardner over eyewitness interviews that indicated the shooter was sitting inside the passenger seat of a vehicle that took off as a shot was fired.

At the time of the interviews, the shooter’s identity was unclear, Gardner said.

The detective testified that Cantu’s name was only initially mentioned by one person, who was sitting in the car and rumors of an alternate shooter made it hard to determine who was telling the truth.

But Cantu’s alleged accomplice, 22-year-old Ricky Gomez, later implicated Cantu after investigators pressed him in a follow-up interview, Gardner said.

Gomez, who initially denied that there was a gun in the car, allegedly told investigators that his sister, Cantu, had fired off the gun. Gomez said it was only intended to scare people off — not fire.

Gardner said Gomez also aided investigators with finding the gun, which had been tossed into Prospect Lake around 30 minutes after the shooting.

Attorneys also went over video showing an altercation between multiple individuals in the middle of the street moments before Martinez was shot.

The incident followed a fight between Martinez and others, who were celebrating New Year’s Eve, until a fight broke out.

Gardner described parties from both sides throwing punches at one another before the incident spilled outside onto the street.

Displayed in court, the video shows people yelling and screaming at each other as a car pulls up with headlights on. A person is seen getting into the car. Moments later, a shot is fired and the vehicle drives off.

Seconds before the shooting, the video shows a person outside of the car make a motion toward it.

Defense attorney Michael Stuzynski suggested that the person, who Gardner said was Martinez, was reaching into the car and then recalled separate interviews with two people inside the car, who told investigators that they were in fear for their lives at the time. Those same two people were also involved in the initial fight and were being picked up to get out of the situation, Gardner said.

Gardner said that the motion Martinez makes toward the car is “consistent” with someone reaching into it, but it was hard to tell.

Cantu, who appeared out of custody, has yet to enter a plea. She and her defense counsel declined to enter one Monday, leaving it for an arraignment hearing on Nov. 2.