Elko man sentenced in 2021 shooting that killed 1, wounded 1

ELKO, Nev. (AP) — An Elko man has been sentenced to four-to-17 years in prison for killing a man and badly wounding a woman in a shooting at a trailer park in northeast Nevada two years ago.

Austin William Himmelman, 32, apologized in court before Fourth District Court Judge Mason Simons sentenced him Wednesday for his pleas of no contest to involuntary manslaughter and battery with a deadly weapon causing substantial bodily harm, the Elko Daily Free Press reported.

Himmelman also was ordered to pay more than $10,000 in restitution for funeral costs to Jeannette Theel, the mother of slaying victim Matthew Allen Baze, 32, of Elko.

Authorities said Baze died at a Utah hospital three days after being shot three times Jan. 7, 2021, including once in the head.

The Daily Free Press reported, citing court documents, that the wounded woman is still recovering from injuries to her abdomen.

“Austin, for my sake, for my kid’s sake in setting an example as a mom, I forgive you,” Theel told Himmelman, the newspaper reported.

Himmelman responded, calling the shooting “a horrible, tragic accident” and insisting he was “not a cold-hearted monster.”

“If I could take it back, I would,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

Authorities said the shooting occurred during an argument about a vehicle that was at Baze’s residence.

Himmelman was arrested five days later in Sparks. The Daily Free Press said he had previous felony convictions on drug and fugitive from justice charges. He was freed on bail but arrested again in June 2021 after failing to appear in court on the firearms charge.