Vancouver police are investigating a double homicide at a July 17 Vancouver house party, in which two others were wounded, as a gang-related shooting, according to court records.
When officers arrived at about 1:20 a.m. at 3601 E. 11th St., Unit 9, they found one person, identified as Alexander Castagnoli, 19, of Portland, dead inside the house. They learned that Amadou Keita, 18, of Portland, died on his way to or at a hospital, from multiple gunshot wounds, according to a search warrant affidavit filed Monday in Clark County Superior Court.
Two additional gunshot victims, a 17-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man, were taken to an area hospital for treatment. Police have not released the identities of the two wounded victims or provided an update on their conditions.
Vancouver police previously said the party began at about 10 p.m. with 15 to 20 invited guests but grew to 70 people by midnight.
Multiple people left the party before police arrived, but between 15 and 20 witnesses remained at the scene, court records state.
One witness told police she heard someone ask, “Who’s a Hoover?” followed by several gunshots. The affidavit states Hoover is the name of a Portland-area gang.
Officers found spent shell casings and a Glock handgun with an extended magazine left in the unit. It was unclear if that was the firearm used in the shooting. Investigators also found a loaded pistol in a backpack that was left at the unit. That firearm returned as a potential match to a shooting earlier in the month in Gresham, Ore., according to the affidavit.
Investigators identified one of the teenage gunshot victims, who was driven to a local hospital in a personal vehicle, as being a member of the rival gang, Six Deuce Crips. He declined to answer detectives’ questions about the shooting, according to court records.
A witness told investigators she overheard him talking on his phone about the shooting, and she believed Hoovers were behind the shooting, the affidavit states.
Witnesses have provided limited suspect information to police, and Vancouver police shared photos of witnesses earlier this week asking for help identifying them. According to the latest update, one potential witness remains unidentified.
Anyone who was a witness or has information about the shooting is asked to call Detective Cpl. Neil Martin at 360-487-7423 or the Vancouver police tip line at 360-487-7399.
