Pasco teen denies shooting driver now in a coma

A Pasco teen pleaded innocent Tuesday to allegations he shot a man in the face on July 4 while the victim was driving down Lewis Street.

Pedro Cadenas, 17, is being tried as an adult for the shooting that left Jorge Rodriguez in a vegetative state, according to the victim’s family.

Cadenas is charged in Franklin County Superior Court with first-degree assault with a firearm, drive-by shooting, second-degree unlawful possession of a gun and attempted vehicle theft.

His trial is scheduled Sept. 13.

Rodriguez, 51, initially was treated at Kadlec Regional Medical Center, then flown to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.

His daughter, Darlin Molina, previously told the Herald that her father has brain damage and doctors have told the family that he is dying.

Molina said her father “didn’t deserve this,” and they remain hopeful and are praying that he will wake up from his coma.

Cadenas could face a murder charge if Rodriguez dies.

Prosecutor Shawn Sant has said the reason for Cadenas’ alleged attack remains under investigation.

According to Pasco police and court documents, the father of three called his daughter about a half hour before the shooting to ask if they had any tomatoes. The farmworker decided to stop by the grocery store on his way home.

Around the same time, Cadenas left a barbecue near 28th Avenue and West A Street and at some point got into the passenger seat of Rodriguez’s Cadillac Escalade, documents said.

It is unclear if the two knew each other.

Rodriguez was headed west on Lewis at 10:30 p.m. when he was shot, which sent the Cadillac careening off the road, through a fence and into a parked car.

Surveillance video near the crash shows Cadenas and Rodriguez getting out of the SUV and taking off in separate directions.

Witnesses said Rodriguez, who was bleeding from his face, started walking down the center of Lewis trying to wave down drivers.

Once he had help, he dialed his daughter’s number, handed the phone to a person and asked them to share that he had been shot, Molina said.

In the meantime, Cadenas allegedly hopped back into the Cadillac and tried to drive away, but the gas tank was stuck on a fence post. He then ran off.

His ex-girlfriend told police that Cadenas returned to the barbecue about 40 minutes after he left, and had dried blood on his left arm, court documents said.

She asked if he shot someone, and Cadenas replied, “I had to do it,” documents said.

Cadenas was arrested July 6 in Sunnyside. He remains in the Benton-Franklin Juvenile Detention Center on $750,000 bail.

Rodriguez’s family has set up a GoFundMe account to help with medical bills and travel expenses.

This story was originally published July 18, 2017 at 3:07 PM with the headline "Pasco teen denies shooting driver now in a coma."