A 17-year-old boy was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years in prison for his involvement in a January drive-by shooting in Vancouver that injured a 16-year-old boy.
Mykease O. Lamb of Portland pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court to one count of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon.
Lamb, who was 16 at the time of the shooting, faced seven counts of first-degree assault, one count of drive-by shooting and two counts of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. He was charged as an adult based on the seriousness of the crime.
All of the charges but one were dismissed as part of an agreement with the prosecution.
Lamb was one of three males accused in the Jan. 30 incident. His co-defendants, Shawn D. Crawford, 22, and Brandon M. Duckworth, 19, both of Portland, are scheduled to begin trial Sept. 21.
The three are accused of firing at least 12 rounds at a group of people sitting on the porch of a house in the 2300 block of Neals Lane at about 2:45 p.m. Jan. 30, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Superior Court.
Lamb fired four rounds from a .40-caliber handgun and struck a 16-year-old boy in the knee, Deputy Prosecutor James Smith said during the teen’s Wednesday hearing.
According to the affidavit, the trio then fled the scene in a green van with several vehicles in pursuit. The chase ended at East 33rd Street and St. Johns Boulevard, where a second shooting occurred after the suspects realized they were being followed.
Crawford and Lamb ran from the van but were later captured by officers, court records said. Duckworth drove away in the vehicle but was later identified by the Portland Police Bureau’s Gang Enforcement Team and arrested.
During Lamb’s hearing, Smith said the teen has a prior conviction in Oregon for second-degree robbery.
He added that it’s always a “tragedy” when someone so young comes before the court but said Lamb’s conduct has been “alarming.”
Lamb’s defense attorney, Chris Ramsay, told Judge David Gregerson that he believes his client would have never been involved in the shooting if he hadn’t been associated with the older men. He said he thinks Lamb was trying to impress them.
Nonetheless, Ramsay said that Lamb is taking responsibility for his actions. “He’s never tried to be the victim in this,” he added.
“I got to see who Mykease is as a human being,” Ramsay said. “He needs a second chance. He’s a lost soul.”
Lamb wrote a letter to the court about taking responsibility for his actions and his hopes for the future. Gregerson read it to himself.
The teen’s aunt also addressed the court and told Gregerson that Lamb “is a good kid but got caught up.”
Gregerson said he could empathize with the situation, as he has teenagers.
“It’s a no-win situation all the way around,” he said. “It’s a man-sized crime with a man-sized punishment.
“You will have a second chance when you do get out. You have a chance to be a positive influence on someone else’s life,” Gregerson added.
Gregerson agreed to sentence Lamb to 144 months total, which includes the two-year firearm enhancement to be served consecutive to the base charge.
