Two teens arrested in shooting at Kelso gas station

LONGVIEW — Two men are in custody after a Tuesday night shooting near a Kelso gas station, according to Kelso police. The shooting victim was airlifted from the scene for treatment.

Columbia County Sheriff’s Office deputies found the suspects — Connor Santos Aguayo, 19, and Eligha Christian Buckner Lopez, 18 — in a portable toilet near their abandoned vehicle in Rainier, Ore., about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday

Witnesses told Kelso police a white sedan fled the area after a driver in another vehicle, identified as Cody Tamayo, 31, was shot around 7 p.m. near Boondox Gas and Grocery on West Cowlitz Way.

The car was found in Oregon 45 minutes after the shooting.

Tamayo was airlifted to a trauma center; his current medical status is being withheld, according to a statement from the Kelso Police Department.

Santos Aguayo and Buckner Lopez were in Columbia County Jail as of Wednesday afternoon. Both are facing drive-by-shooting and first-degree assault allegations.

Kelso police Capt. Rich Fletcher said police have not determined if the shooting was gang-related.

Fletcher said Santos Aguayo is related to Ruperto Aguayo, the man charged with first-degree manslaughter in the 2023 death of Grant Hadler, who owned Longview’s Grants at The Monticello Hotel.

Santos Aguayo and Buckner Lopez will have to be extradited to Cowlitz County.

Anyone who witnessed the shooting near the gas station or has information about it is asked to contact Kelso Police Detective Craig Christianson at 360-423-1270.