An 18-year-old Vancouver man was sentenced to more than seven years in a juvenile detention facility for shooting at two other teens in May outside of Mountain View High School.
Luis Angel Sullivan Alvarado pleaded guilty Thursday in Clark County Superior Court to first-degree assault with a firearm. The prosecution dropped a second assault charge as part of the plea agreement.
Judge John Fairgrieve granted the exceptionally low sentence because of Sullivan Alvarado’s youth (he was 17 at the time of the shooting) and a psychologist’s finding he lacked typical maturity for his age. Sullivan Alvarado’s defense attorney requested the 88-month sentence because it would mean the teen would not be transferred to adult prison.
Sullivan Alvarado said Thursday he was grateful no one was hurt in the shooting, and he said he learned a valuable lesson. He promised the judge he would not see him again.
Vancouver police responded about 9:30 a.m. May 16 to a report of shots heard in the 900 block of Southeast Park Crest Avenue. A caller reported hearing 15 to 20 gunshots and seeing a white Honda Accord speed away. Another caller reported seeing someone pull a gun from their waistband, point it at people across the street and fire 10 shots, according to a probable cause affidavit.
An officer spoke with a 17-year-old boy who said he and a friend were walking on Park Crest Avenue. He said they saw another teen, later identified as Sullivan Alvarado, staring at them. He asked Sullivan Alvarado if he had a problem, he said, and his friend said something to Sullivan Alvarado referencing a school gang affiliation, court records state.
The teen said Sullivan Alvarado didn’t say anything in response and pulled a gun from his waistband and shot at them. He and his friend then ran through the Park Crest Commons Apartments to try to get away, he said. He said he ran so fast he left his shoes behind, and Sullivan Alvarado ran away, too, the affidavit states. Officers could not locate the teen’s friend.
Police found eight spent 9 mm shell casings on Park Crest Avenue, across from the apartments. They also found bullet holes on several occupied apartments, according to court records.
The incident prompted the high school to go into lockdown for about an hour while police investigated.
