Police seek witnesses to Chiawana Park shooting

PASCO — Three detectives have been assigned to Sunday's gang shooting at the heavily populated Chiawana Park as police are asking for the public's assistance in their investigation.

Eyewitnesses who may have seen or captured the events leading up to the shooting, the actual incident or the aftermath are being asked to call Pasco police as officers continue to piece together what led to the arrest of seven young men and a juvenile boy.

Three of the suspects face a maximum prison term of life if convicted. All eight are scheduled to enter pleas to the new charges Tuesday in Franklin County Superior Court.

"We need the public to step back up like they did that day," Pasco Detective Sgt. Reuben Marquez said at a news conference Thursday to discuss the case. "They did an awesome job of stepping up, and that's what we need more of."

A number of people already have turned over pictures and videos snapped on cell phones or cameras and given police their accounts of the evening shooting that shattered the festivities for numerous groups along the Columbia River.

Franklin County Prosecutor Steve Lowe was attending an annual picnic for the Franklin County Democrats and left the park only minutes before the shooting. He had just pulled up to his Pasco house when he got the call to return to the park.

"I didn't see anything because obviously if I did, I would then take that to law enforcement, would become a witness and would not be able to prosecute anything," Lowe said.

He described it as a "great, warm Sunday afternoon." There were at least 300 people in the park -- what Lowe says was the largest crowd he has seen there in the past two decades -- participating in everything from birthday parties and barbecues to a church gathering.

As the county's top law enforcer, Lowe is familiar with the gang activity in Pasco. And on Sunday when he took his family to the park, just as he does any other time they're together, he was watching out to make sure they weren't in harm's way.

"I didn't see anything menacing or (to) cause me concern," he said.

According to police and court documents, Ronnie Lopez was at a barbecue with his co-workers in the west end of the park when he noticed several men walking past him "throwing gang signs." That lasted for about 20 minutes until two of the men approached him and pulled up their shirts to reveal pistols.

Lopez, 23, reportedly knew the men to be gang members and told them he didn't want any problems. Then David Reyes came up from behind and jumped Lopez, "took him to the ground and began punching him along with several others," documents said.

Lopez, who has a concealed weapons permit, pulled out his pistol to use in self-defense but there was no bullet in the chamber. After Reyes allegedly fired at him several times, Lopez was able to load his pistol and fire at Reyes, hitting him twice.

Reyes and the others then ran away, only to be surrounded by police, who quickly descended upon the park.

"What we are alleging was that it was a gang-related event. There were rival gangs involved in this particular case," Lowe said. "The victim is believed by the suspects to have gang affiliations."

An officer patrolling near the park was able to catch five of the suspects as they reportedly piled into a vehicle trying to leave. Another officer arriving from Road 96 nabbed a suspect as he tried to run, Pasco police said.

And a suspect was caught trying to blend into the crowd as police sealed the park to get control of the "outdoor crime scene."

Reyes was treated at Kadlec Regional Medical Center for his wounds. He appeared in court earlier this week in a wheelchair.

"I think the response of law enforcement to this was incredible," Lowe said. "Law enforcement truly excelled. They did just an absolutely marvelous job."

Pasco and the Franklin County Sheriff's Office had almost all of their on-duty officers at the scene, and the Benton County sheriff's marine patrol responded to assist.

On Wednesday, Lowe charged the eight suspects for their alleged roles.

Jose P. Contreras-Gomez, 17, of Pasco, initially appeared Monday in Juvenile Court, but ended up automatically declined to adult court with his new charges of first-degree assault, riot, first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and three counts of second-degree reckless endangerment.

Reckless endangerment is a gross misdemeanor, while the other charges are felonies.

On Thursday before Superior Court Judge Vic VanderSchoor, Contreras-Gomez was ordered held on $250,000 bail and told to have no contact with Lopez while the case is pending.

Contreras-Gomez questioned how he has a charge for possessing a firearm.

"I'm just telling you what the charges are," VanderSchoor replied, saying he could discuss them further with his lawyer.

Lowe listed off Contreras-Gomez's felony criminal history dating back to 2005, which includes third-degree assault of a law enforcement officer, attempted assault with a deadly weapon, obstruction of justice, attempted robbery, attempting to elude police, possession of stolen property, driving with a suspended license and taking a vehicle without permission.

He will remain held in juvenile detention during the case.

Also charged are:

-- George Bernal, 19, second-degree assault and three counts of second-degree reckless endangerment.

-- Hector Farias, 19, second-degree assault and three counts of second-degree reckless endangerment.

-- Victor Farias, 19, second-degree assault and two counts of second-degree reckless endangerment.

-- Lorenzo Ricardo Fernandez, 18, second-degree assault and three counts of second-degree reckless endangerment.

-- Carlos Salcedo-Valdivia, 19, first-degree assault, first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, riot and three counts of second-degree reckless endangerment.

-- Ubaldo Reyes, 19, second-degree assault and three counts of second-degree reckless endangerment.

-- David Reyes, 19, first-degree assault, first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, riot and three counts of second-degree reckless endangerment.

They are being held on $100,000 bail each.

"These people on this list are not unknown to us," Lowe said. "(This is not) their first time before us."

Lowe said whether they are charged with first- or second-degree assault, all of them face sentencing enhancements if convicted for alleged gang activity. He also noted that these may not be the final charges against the men, and that there may be more suspects who are not yet in custody.

"There are things in this investigation left unanswered," he said.

Police recovered four firearms at the park. Three of them they "believe were in the hands of the individuals on this list," Lowe said, referring to a sheet with the suspects' names. The fourth belongs to Lopez.

One of the guns was believed dropped by someone on a park bench as they tried to avoid being caught by police. An officer previously had walked by that bench and the gun was not there.

Prosecutors don't anticipate charging the victim, Lopez, "in light of the evidence at this point," Lowe said. Lopez's actions reportedly were in self-defense and he has a permit for his gun.

Lowe said the fact that the suspects include two sets of twins -- Farias and Reyes -- complicates the investigation because of the identification issue.

"It makes it difficult, but we're working through that. We believe that the charging reflects that decision at this point," he said.

The investigation is a priority for the Pasco Police Department and the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office.

The department has a total five detectives with a number of ongoing homicide cases, but has dedicated three of those investigators to the shooting because of the gravity of the circumstances.

Lowe said he will try to get evidence quickly to the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab so the lawyers will "have all the facts by the time we go to trial."

Pasco police have been patrolling city parks on a regular basis all summer, so officers are close by, Marquez said. He advises citizens to immediately call police if they see two groups coming together that look like they may fight or cause problems or just get disorderly.

"We responded very fast, but we can't be everywhere at once. So as parkgoers, if you see any of these things, call us," he said. "Even if it does not turn out to be a fight, it's better for us to find that out than to show up after somebody has been shot or the fight happens."

Asked if gang activity is on the rise, Lowe said the increase is in violent gang retaliation as evidenced by more shootings this year. However, police and prosecutors can't take action when witnesses refuse to talk, as happened with a shooting earlier this year.

"We have witnesses who stepped forward (on the Chiawana Park shooting). We believe there are more witnesses who can step forward and help out," Lowe said.

To tackle the violence, a city must have other resources and come up with alternatives for youth like the Boys & Girls Club because "you can't arrest your way out of a gang problem," he added. "The community has to be the one to say, 'We aren't going to put up with these gangs and we have to do something about it.' "

People who may have information about the shooting or the suspects are asked to call the Pasco police detective's line at 545-3484.

Lowe said they can remain anonymous if they are in fear for their safety.

-- Kristin M. Kraemer: 582-1531; kkraemer@tricityherald.com

This story was originally published August 6, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Police seek witnesses to Chiawana Park shooting."