Ryan Nguyen formally entered a guilty plea during a Sept. 16 hearing before Judge John Parker.

Nguyen appeared by Zoom for the hearing but must appear in person for sentencing, which Parker said may not be scheduled until after Jan. 1.

Nguyen signed a plea agreement with the Cascade County Attorney’s Office over the summer in the July 2025 shooting death of Jackson Molnar.

Plea agreement reached in 2025 Target parking lot shooting death

Under the agreement, Nguyen pleaded guilty to a felony count of criminal endangerment and the prosecution is recommending a 10-year prison sentence, all time suspended, plus 100 hours of community service.

Nguyen was an airman assigned to Malmstrom Air Force Base at the time of the shooting.

CCSO investigating Jan. 9 homicide; two homicide cases moving forward to trial

He has since been discharged from the Air Force and is living in another state, County Attorney Josh Racki told The Electric.

Nguyen was initially charged with negligent homicide for the early morning shooting death in the Target parking lot on July 13, 2025.

According to charging documents, 911 dispatchers received a call around 2:30 a.m. of a male with a gunshot wound to the head in the Target parking lot, and when officers arrived, they identified the deceased as Molnar, who was on the ground between two of three vehicles parked there.

Molnar and Nguyen were both 19 at the time of the shooting.

During the Sept. 16 hearing, Nguyen’s attorney asked a series of questions to establish the factual basis for the guilty plea, a standard practice during change-of-plea hearings.

Nguyen said that he failed to clear the round of ammunition before handing the gun to Molnar and that, as a result, the gun fired when he handed it to Molnar, resulting in his death.

Malmstrom officials told The Electric  in August that “Cascade County maintained jurisdiction of the prosecution of Ryan Nguyen. The matter was appropriately handled by Cascade County authorities,” and according to Air Force rules, “members…who have been tried under state authority…should not ordinarily be tried by court-martial by the Air Force…for the same act once jeopardy attaches.”

Malmstrom officials said they cannot legally release information pertaining to a military discharge without a subpoena.

Man charged with negligent homicide in Sunday morning shooting

In July 2025, officers talked to Nguyen, Tyler Brigham, Maiyha Gutierrez, and John Rattlingtail, who were outside the vehicles.

“Nguyen made utterances that he shot Molnar,” according to court documents, and indicated that Molnar wanted to see his gun.

Nguyen told officers that he was holding onto the gun and he was going to clear it when Molnar grabbed onto the slide of the gun and pulled it towards himself, while Nguyen’s finger was inside of the trigger guard and the gun went off and shot Molnar, according to court documents.

Officers observed a gunshot to Molnar’s head and a pistol in the front passenger seat of Nguyen’s vehicle, a 2005 green Infiniti G35X, bearing a Montana license plate, according to court documents.

The pistol had blood on it and the hammer was cocked. Officers saw a fired bullet and casing in the backseat of Rattlingtail’s vehicle, a 2003 gold Mercury Grand Marquis, as well as an unfired cartridge on the ground on the passenger side of the vehicle, according to court documents.

Rattlingtail had a firearm in his waistband.

Brigham’s vehicle, a 2020 gray Toyota Supra was parked next to the Grand Marquis.

When officers arrived on scene, they found Molnar on the ground between the Infiniti and the Grand Marquis.

Nguyen and Brigham were standing on the passenger side of the Infiniti.

GFPD investigating Target parking lot shooting

Rattlingtail and Gutierrez were standing at the back of the Supra.

Officers saw alcoholic beverages inside and outside of the vehicles, according to court documents, and the men were believed to have been drinking.

Nguyen had blood on his hands and Bringham, Gutierrez and Rattlingtail had blood on their clothing, according to court documents.

In an interview with investigators, Brigham said that he, Nguyen and Molnar were sitting in the backseat of the Grand Marquis showing their guns off. Nguyen was in the middle between himself and Molnar.

Brigham said they then all holstered their guns, including Nguyen, then Molnar asked to see Nguyen’s gun and Nguyen pulled it out, raised it up, and then Molnar said again, let me see that and grabbed for the gun and that’s when he heard the shot, according to court documents.

Nguyen turned to Brigham and said “I just shot Jackson,” according to what Brigham told investigators, as included in court documents.

Brigham said he and Nguyen exited together out of the back passenger side door and went around the vehicle to the side with Molnar, who had fallen out of the car and called 911.

Last summer, during Nguyen’s initial appearance, Cascade County Attorney Josh Racki recommended Nguyen’s release on his own recognizance into Air Force custody and had coordinated with base officials.

Racki said those conditions included that Nguyen be confined to base and have no alcohol or firearms.

Master Sgt. Abraham Jara, the first sergeant for Nguyen’s unit, said that those conditions were acceptable to the Air Force.

Judge John Parker’s order added GPS monitoring and a condition that he was allowed to leave base for court appearances.

Malmstrom officials told The Electric in July 2025 that, “in a situation where an individual is turned over to a first sergeant’s custody by the local judicial system, it is for the member to be escorted back to base. The judge will determine the stipulations on the individual’s liberties, and the individual’s unit will then ensure that all stipulations are complied with.”