Burbank man accused of shooting Pasco man in stomach

Published: February 14, 2013 

Suspect Juan Aranda

Suspect Juan Carlos Aranda, 28, appears Wednesday in Franklin County Superior Court in Pasco in connection with a shooting Tuesday night.

BOB BRAWDY — Tri-City Herald Buy Photo

The 41-year-old Pasco man who was shot in the stomach Tuesday night had just returned to his apartment with his family after a shopping trip.

Alfredo Leyva answered a knock at the door and spoke to Juan Carlos Aranda, 28, of Burbank, according to court documents.

Aranda asked for someone whom Leyva said did not live at the apartment. Leyva then closed the door.

"Shortly after that, there was a second knock at the door and when Leyva answered it, Aranda had a shotgun out and pointed it at Leyva and shot him in the stomach," the documents said.

Leyva was listed in serious condition in the intensive care unit at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle as of Wednesday afternoon. The investigation is ongoing and police have not reported a motive for the shooting.

Aranda was arrested shortly after police arrived at Leyva's apartment complex in the 200 block of Oregon Avenue.

Aranda appeared Wednesday in Franklin County Superior Court on suspicion of first-degree assault. He was ordered held on $200,000 bail. Prosecutors have 72 hours to decide whether they will charge him.

Pasco police identified the suspect as Juan Sarabia-Aranda, but court documents show his last name as Aranda.

When officers responded Tuesday night, Aranda allegedly was seen kneeling next to a pistol-gripped 12-gauge shotgun he was concealing inside a sweater.

Leyva was found on the floor of his apartment with a gunshot wound to his abdomen.

His girlfriend told police she had just returned to the apartment with Leyva and her two children. They found it burglarized with the TV gone. That's when Aranda knocked at the door.

After Leyva was shot, the girlfriend reportedly jumped at the door, slammed it shut and called 911. She identified Aranda as the man who shot Leyva as he was being arrested, court documents said.

A neighbor told police she saw Aranda with the shotgun in front of Leyva's apartment and heard a loud boom, documents said. Police also recovered a spent 12-gauge shotgun shell.

Leyva first was taken to Richland's Kadlec Regional Medical Center for surgery before going to Harborview. Investigators have not spoken with him yet because of his injuries.

-- Ty Beaver: 509-582-1402; tbeaver@tricityherald.com

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