A Portland man involved in a drive-by shooting in Vancouver that injured a 16-year-old boy was sentenced Wednesday to 13 years in prison.
Brandon M. Duckworth, 19, pleaded guilty earlier this month in Clark County Superior Court to first-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm in connection with the Jan. 30, 2015, shooting. He was facing seven counts of first-degree assault, drive-by shooting and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, but those charges were amended as part of a plea deal.
Last year, a co-defendant, Mykease O. Lamb of Portland, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Lamb, then 16, was the shooter who struck the victim. He was charged as an adult. A third co-defendant, Shawn D. Crawford, 22, also of Portland, is scheduled to begin trial April 25.
The three allegedly fired at least 12 rounds at a group of people sitting on the porch of a house in the 2300 block of Neals Lane, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Superior Court.
Lamb fired four rounds from a .40-caliber handgun and struck a boy in the knee. The trio then fled from 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 erupted after they realized they were being followed, the affidavit said.
Lamb and Crawford ran from the van but were apprehended by police, court records said. Duckworth drove away in the vehicle but was later identified by the Portland Police Bureau’s Gang Enforcement Team and was arrested.
Asking for ‘mercy’
During sentencing, Duckworth’s attorney, Jeff Barrar of Vancouver Defenders, said the shooting began over gang affiliation. He argued that everyone involved in the incident understood the lifestyle and that there was posturing from both sides.
“No one had clean hands here,” he said. “I’m asking the court to have mercy.” Barrar asked that Duckworth be sentenced to the low-end of the range — 10 years.
Duckworth said he had graduated from high school and was getting ready to head to college when he made “this poor choice.”
“It was never my intention for anyone to get hurt,” he told Judge Suzan Clark, adding that he can’t justify what happened.
He said he’s had trouble getting away from the gang life and said that’s how he was raised.
“I never wanted to do this. Still, till this day, I don’t want to do this,” he said. “I want to move past gang life, stay out of the system and be a normal citizen for once.”
Clark told Duckworth that she sees potential in him, but she also sees a threat to the community. She followed the prosecution’s sentencing recommendation of 156 months, in part because Duckworth also has a juvenile conviction involving a firearm.
“Use the time productively,” Clark said. “Break this horrible cycle. You’re the only one who can change the situation.”
Duckworth was given credit for 379 days in custody.
