A man who opened fire on an occupied vehicle at a Vancouver gas station in February 2017 was sentenced Wednesday to nine years in prison.
Edgar Thomas Quezada-Macias, 28, of Vancouver pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court to two counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon enhancement and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm with a gang member enhancement. He originally faced first-degree attempted murder, among other charges, but pleaded to the amended charges following an agreement with the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Vancouver police were dispatched around 1:40 a.m. Feb. 28, 2017, to the Chevron at 13707 N.E. 28th St., for a reported shooting. Police recovered five .40-caliber shell casings near a gas pump, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Officers interviewed witnesses and later found the victim, who had driven two people to the convenience store, according to the affidavit. The victim was walking into the store when a man, later identified as Quezada-Macias, approached him carrying a handgun, the affidavit said.
The victim ran back to his vehicle and locked the door, and Quezada-Macias approached the driver’s window and demanded he exit the car. When he drove off, the victim heard several gunshots and noticed later that his car had been struck by bullets, according to the affidavit.
Video surveillance captured the incident, allowing investigators to identify Quezada-Macias as the suspect, according to the affidavit. Investigators learned he was arrested by the Portland Police Bureau later that day.
Quezada-Macias denied being involved in the shooting in an interview with police. When asked if he was trying to kill the victim, he replied, “If I had wanted to kill the kid, I would have,” the affidavit said.
The incident stemmed from a dispute over women, Senior Deputy Prosecutor James Smith said. The two men followed each other around Vancouver and, at one point, the victim pointed a gun at Quezada-Macias, said Therese Lavallee, Quezada-Macias’s defense attorney.
Quezada-Macias said Wednesday he has matured since the incident.
“Your honor, I just want to apologize and put all of this behind me,” he said.
Judge Suzan Clark agreed he has matured.
“It took a long time to achieve this result, and I do believe this is the appropriate solution,” Clark said.
