Vancouver man, 22, pleads guilty to gang-related shooting

A Vancouver man pleaded guilty Wednesday to a gang-related shooting in August 2012 in Vancouver that left another man with gunshot wounds to the leg and foot.

Gregorio Robert Chavez, 22, faces 162 to 208 months in prison for first-degree assault at his Dec. 18 sentencing hearing in front of Judge Robert Lewis.

Chavez, a Sureno street gang member who goes by the name “Frost,” shot fellow gang member Jose Reyes in the right leg on Aug. 24, 2012. Court documents indicate the motive was revenge follwing a fight between two groups of gangsters. Chavez’ attorney, Ed Dunkerly, said his client could have argued that the shooting was in self-defense. Instead, he accepted a plea offer, which allowed him to avoid the potential of a conviction for first-degree attempted murder.

A police investigation showed Chavez, Stefan A. Duran, 22, and Duran’s girlfriend, Connie C. Gadberry, 21, drove past Reyes in a vehicle on East 18th Street near Norris Road, and words were exchanged. Then, Chavez shot Reyes.

Gadberry, Duran and Chavez fled to California “until things settled down,” according to court documents. They were apprehended while driving a stolen vehicle in Madera, Calif. Chavez fought extradition and was returned to Clark County in December 2012; Duran and Gadberry returned willingly.

Gadberry pleaded guilty April 1 to a charge of drive-by shooting. The Vancouver woman is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 18. Duran is scheduled to be tried Dec. 9 on charges of first-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault.