A 15-year-old Vancouver boy is accused of fatally shooting a man who apparently confronted him outside of his house about gang membership.
Adolfo Cruz Torres appeared Wednesday in Clark County Juvenile Court on suspicion of second-degree murder, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and alteration of identifying marks on a firearm. Judge Gregory Gonzales set his bail at $1 million, and he is scheduled to be arraigned May 26.
Clark County sheriff’s deputies responded at about 11:30 p.m. Monday to Golden West Mobile Manor MHP, 6816 N.E. 131st Ave., No. 105, for reports of a shooting. Callers reported hearing multiple gunshots and finding blood in a driveway, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Deputies found a vehicle on 131st Avenue, southeast of the mobile home park, that had crashed into a utility pole. The driver was dead with at least one gunshot wound, court records state. Authorities have not yet identified the victim.
When deputies interviewed Cruz Torres, he initially told them he heard the shooting but didn’t see anyone or any vehicles, according to court records. Upon further questioning, he “issued an unsolicited statement that he actually committed the shooting,” the affidavit states.
Cruz Torres allegedly told deputies he was waiting for a friend when an unknown man stopped his car in front of Cruz Torres’ house and confronted him about gang membership. Cruz Torres said the man approached him, and Cruz Torres pulled a firearm from his waistband and shot the man, according to court records.
He then allegedly took investigators to where he hid the gun, which was a Glock 23 with the serial number obliterated, under a neighbor’s porch, the affidavit states.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Jessica Smith said Wednesday that there was another juvenile with Cruz Torres, but investigators don’t yet know his involvement. Gonzales ordered Cruz Torres to have no contact with any gang members if he posts bail.
