Bullet fragments and a red bike; Pasco murder trial continues

Investigators weren’t able to locate any bullets fired at a Pasco man after a deadly confrontation outside a grocery store in 2015.

Four little pieces of metal — fragments created from a bullet hitting a hard object like asphalt or concrete — were all that was found underneath a picnic table near Juan C. Melgoza’s body.

Ashley Lucas, the Pasco police evidence technician, wore black gloves Thursday morning while showing jurors the size of a bullet fragment.

The fragments were so small, they never were sent to the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab for analysis with the rest of the evidence in Melgoza’s death.

Lucas took the stand for a second day in the Franklin County Superior Court trial of Chris Pedroza-DeSantiago.

The 22-year-old Pasco man is accused of killing Melgoza on Feb. 4, 2015, in a gang-related shooting.

Melgoza, 42, was a member of the Norteños, while Pedroza-DeSantiago is a Mexican Pride Sureño.

Prosecutors allege that the two rivals argued outside Fiesta Foods when Pedroza-DeSantiago, grocery shopping with his girlfriend, noticed Melgoza sitting at the picnic table.

Melgoza wasn’t hard to miss: He had a 4-foot-long stick wrapped in red lace, and his red bicycle with a red bandana-covered seat was propped nearby.

He also had a long black coat. Inside the coat, Lucas explained, was a knife in a black, handmade duct-taped sheath hanging by a lanyard from a loop.

Prosecutors say Pedroza-DeSantiago returned to the store with fellow gang member Abraham Barajas to again confront Melgoza. Then, after allegedly arguing over who was going to shoot their rival, Pedroza-DeSantiago took the gun, yelled “MPS” and fired at Melgoza.

Melgoza immediately died after one bullet went through his body.

The defense claims Barajas is the actual shooter, and Pedroza-DeSantiago never intended for Melgoza to die. He came back to the store parking lot because Melgoza had challenged him to a fight, that’s it, said attorney Norma Rodriguez.

Pedroza-DeSantiago is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

His trial is expected to last two to three weeks and is not in session on Fridays.

This story was originally published August 17, 2017 at 7:45 PM with the headline "Bullet fragments and a red bike; Pasco murder trial continues."