This gang member fired 6 times in a Kennewick drive-by. His friends helped convict him

The testimony of two 12-year-olds helped prosecutors secure a guilty verdict against a gang member who shot at a south Kennewick home.

Roberto Perez Andrade, who also goes by Robert, was convicted of second-degree gun possession and drive-by shooting.

The verdict came following his weeklong trial in Benton County Superior Court.

Andrade — a self-admitted Sureño gang member — used a Beretta handgun to shoot six 9mm rounds from a moving vehicle at 6:08 p.m. on April 24, according to a Benton County Prosecutor’s Office Facebook post.

Andrade was one of three people inside a Honda to open fire in the 2600 block of West Clearwater Avenue, near Buntin Street.

The Honda was caught on camera leaving the area, and police caught up with them a few hours later when the suspects returned to the scene in the same car.

The prosecutor’s office Facebook post said the two pre-teens who saw the shooting testified against Andrade, along with many people from the neighborhood and two people in the Honda who were Andrade’s friends.

The post recognized them for being brave enough to cooperate with the investigation and for truthfully telling jurors what happened.

Andrade is being held in the Benton County jail on $25,000 bail.

This story was originally published November 25, 2019 at 7:26 PM.