A 17-year-old Vancouver boy who tried to shoot at a woman multiple times was sentenced Tuesday to 11 years in prison.
Armando Arciga-Gomez pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court to first-degree assault stemming from the March 12 incident. He initially was charged with attempted second-degree murder and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, but those charges were amended as part of a plea deal.
Arciga-Gomez was prosecuted in Superior Court because of his age and the nature of the charges.
Witnesses said he pointed a handgun at an 18-year-old woman and pulled the trigger multiple times while at Marine Park, 4501 S.E. Columbia Way, according to a probable cause affidavit. The gun didn’t fire, police said, because of a malfunction.
The woman was at the park to fight a 19-year-old woman, according to court records. She said during the fight that she saw Arciga-Gomez in a crowd of onlookers point a silver and black handgun at her head and torso from about 10 feet away. Afterward, she followed him to his car, she said, and began punching him. He then pointed the gun at her at point-blank range, the affidavit states.
A bystander pulled the woman off of Arciga-Gomez, and he left. Several other witnesses told police they saw him point the gun at the woman and pull the trigger about 20 times, but the firearm didn’t shoot, court records said.
In a police interview, Arciga-Gomez said he pulled the trigger about 40 times to try to shoot the woman, the affidavit states. He later fixed the firearm malfunction, he said, and fired a live round out of the car window after he drove away, according to court documents.
During his hearing, Arciga-Gomez’s attorney, Gerry Wear, said his client has a problem with alcohol and was intoxicated at the time of the incident. Wear described him as bright but immature and impressionable. He said Arciga-Gomez was introduced to the gang life at an early age.
Wear asked Judge Daniel Stahnke to sentence the teen to 117 months in prison, the low end of the range.
“I think he’s deserving of hope,” Wear said.
Arciga-Gomez apologized for his actions and said he didn’t intend to hurt anyone.
Stahnke sentenced the teen to the middle of the range: 108 months plus a 24-month deadly weapon enhancement. Arciga-Gomez likely will serve his sentence in a juvenile facility until he turns 21 and then will transfer into the prison system. He was given credit for 175 days in custody.
