El Paso police detectives located 75 pistols, about 100 more weapons, rifles and shotguns and thousands of rounds of ammunition at the home of a man accused in a shooting in the El Paso Country Club neighborhood, a prosecutor said.
The firearms were found when investigators with the Crimes Against Persons Unit searched the home of 60-year-old Kevin Carl Welch on Vista Grande Circle when he was arrested, Assistant District Attorney Talisa Gutierrez said during a bond hearing on Thursday, Dec. 11.
Kevin Carl Welch was arrested on an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge for allegedly shooting a man at a home in the 200 block of Lombardy Avenue in El Paso’s Upper Valley on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025.
Welch, who faces an aggravated assault case, remained jailed on Sunday, Dec. 14, even after a magistrate judge lowered his total bond from $760,000 to $225,000 during the bond hearing last week.
Peter Alan Rittmann, 59, was walking his dog outside his home on Lombardy Avenue at about 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 23 when Welch allegedly popped out of some bushes, cursed and fired about four rounds, according to Gutierrez and a complaint affidavit filed by a detective.
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Rittmann was critically wounded with life-threatening gunshot wounds to his abdomen plus a gunshot wound to the thumb of his left hand, the affidavit stated. He was hospitalized at University Medical Center of El Paso.
Rittmann “is strong, kind, and deeply loved by so many people. We are hopeful for his recovery, but the road ahead will be long,” his family stated on a GoFundMe page set up to help with medical bills and day-to-day expenses.
Peter Alan Rittmann was critically wounded in a shooting outside his home on Lombardy Drive in El Paso, Texas, on Nov. 23, 2025.
Welch and Rittman reside about a block apart and have known each other since junior high school, but no motive has been disclosed in the attack. When questioned by police, Welch denied shooting Rittmann, the complaint affidavit stated.
Judge lowers bond for shooting suspect
According to court records, the shooting took place while Welch was free on bond after being arrested by El Paso police in July on a charge of driving while intoxicated (second offense) and unlawful carrying of a weapon.
During Thursday’s hearing, Welch’s attorney Denise Butterworth said that alcohol will be “at the crux of Mr. Welch’s issues.” She argued for a lower bond because Welch is a person “who is older in life” with “very limited nonviolent criminal history.”
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“I don’t think that at this point when somebody in presumed innocent with very little criminal history that a $760,000 bond is appropriate,” Butterworth told Magistrate Judge Antonio Aun.
Aun decided to lower the $750,000 original bond on the aggravated assault charge to $220,000. The bond revocation on the DWI was set at a $5,000 bond.
Judge: Shooting suspect must reside elsewhere
The judge ordered several restrictions as terms of release, including taking into account the proximity of the residences of both men
“He (Welch) lives very close to where the victim lives. I have very serious concerns about that,” Aun said before ordering that Welch must reside elsewhere and not any closer than 2 miles from Rittman’s home while awaiting trial.
Aun also ordered that Welch is also not allowed to possess any weapons, firearms or ammunition and is not allowed to possess or consume drugs and alcohol. He must install an alcohol monitoring device, if driving. He will be under intensive supervision requiring him to report weekly in person and will have a curfew of 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily.
As of Sunday, Dec. 14, Welch remained incarcerated at the El Paso County Jail Annex.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com and @BorundaDaniel on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso police find 75 guns. Shooting suspect’s bond lowered.