Vancouver man arrested in Saturday’s fatal shooting outside Safeway

Vancouver police arrested a 28-year-old man Wednesday morning in connection with a fatal shooting Saturday outside Safeway on Mill Plain Boulevard.

Later Wednesday, the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man killed in the shooting as 28-year-old Henry Gonzalez Carmona of Vancouver.

The medical examiner’s office said Gonzalez Carmona died from a perforating gunshot wound to his torso, which he suffered in the store’s parking lot. His death was ruled a homicide, meaning it resulted from another person’s deliberate action. The ruling does not make any judgments about criminal culpability.

Nicholas Martinell-Sterling was taken into custody at 3:20 a.m. at a residence in the 7900 block of Northeast Burton Road, according to a police news release. He was booked into the Clark County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder, first-degree assault and drive-by shooting.

The police department did not release details about his arrest.

Several men were involved in a confrontation at 11:35 p.m. Saturday at the Safeway, 6701 E. Mill Plain Blvd., according to a previous police statement.

As two of the men left the store, the suspects fired multiple rounds at them. The victims were able to reach their vehicle and drive to a hospital. The suspects followed and fired more shots at the vehicle on the way to the hospital, Vancouver police said.

The other victims, a 42-year-old man, a 35-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman, also suffered gunshot wounds.

The identities of the other victims have not been released.

The Vancouver Police Department Major Crime Unit, Safe Streets Task Force, Neighborhood Response Team, Property Crime Unit and Traffic Unit assisted with the response. The Major Crime Unit is continuing the investigation.