A judge set bail at $500,000 for a 20-year-old Vancouver man accused of shooting a 16-year-old boy in the back during a gunfight Tuesday afternoon in central Vancouver.
Fnj Kenneth appeared Wednesday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of first-degree assault and drive-by shooting. The judge granted the state’s request that Kenneth be prohibited from possessing firearms and be required to surrender any guns prior to his release. He is scheduled to be arraigned March 19.
Although Kenneth does not have any criminal history, the prosecutor said he requested the high bail amount because the shooting occurred at the busy intersection of East Fourth Plain Boulevard and Fort Vancouver Way.
Vancouver police responded at 3:58 p.m. to multiple 911 callers reporting two people were possibly shooting at one another, according to court records.
Officers responded and found a boy, identified as Herber Romero-Lara, inside the nearby Burgerville restaurant, 2200 E. Fourth Plain Blvd., with a grazing gunshot wound to his back. Police recovered a firearm in a corner of the restaurant, according to court records.
Police could be heard on emergency radio traffic, monitored by The Columbian, saying they recovered multiple shell casings north of McDonald’s, 2110 E. Fourth Plain Blvd.
Romero-Lara reportedly told police he was at the McDonald’s with a friend. When they walked out, a male wearing a red shirt approached them and said, “What’s up with it?” Romero-Lara said he responded similarly. That’s when a man wearing “red bandana-style pants” pulled out a gun and started firing at him, according to court records.
Romero-Lara said he ran, drew his own P80 handgun and returned fire with two or three rounds before entering Burgerville, court records state.
Officers reviewed surveillance video in the area and saw a man, later identified by police as Kenneth, shooting a firearm. Kenneth then got into a car and drove away, according to court records.
A witness told police a group of people ran north on Fort Vancouver Way after the shooting. Officers contacted a group of teenagers who matched the witness’s description, including Kenneth’s brother, court records state.
Investigators viewed Kenneth’s social media profiles and found photos and videos of him posing with firearms, along with photos of the car Kenneth was seen on surveillance video driving away in, according to court records.
Officers also learned someone had called 911 about 15 minutes before he shooting to report five teens were waving guns around and taking photos of their guns on the dashboard of a car, court records state.
Police went to Kenneth’s residence and conducted surveillance. They saw Kenneth come and go from the car in which he left the shooting scene. They also followed him around the Vancouver area for some time before conducting a traffic stop and detaining him, court records state. A police news release said investigators arrested Kenneth about 7:45 p.m.
Kenneth declined to speak with officers, according to court records.
Romero-Lara appeared Wednesday morning in Clark County Juvenile Court on allegations of unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful discharge of a firearm. He was ordered to remain in juvenile detention and is scheduled to be arraigned March 14, court records show.
