He killed a Tri-Cities dad. Now, he’s in jail for shooting at a carload of kids

A 29-year-old man is suspected of shooting at his girlfriend’s ex and a carload of children in Pasco, just five months after his release from prison for killing a Kennewick father in a high-speed crash.

Miguel A. Paniagua reportedly checked in to a Tri-Cities hospital late Sunday for treatment for a gunshot wound in his leg.

He was booked into the Franklin County jail about midnight, and is being held without bail on suspicion of seven first-degree assaults.

A girl in the other vehicle was wounded when glass fragments shattered into her face from the bullet damage to the SUV. Her age and condition are not known, but she was one of six children in the SUV at the time.

Pasco police are looking for that black SUV and its driver, Juan Ledezma, who shares five children with his ex.

Ledezma allegedly shot back after Paniagua opened fire at his SUV.

The other kids were later dropped off at a home by Ledezma and are fine, police said in a Facebook post.

Dispute, then gunfire

According to police, the confrontation between Paniagua — who was a passenger in an older brown pickup — and Ledezma started at about 8:20 p.m. in the area of Seventh Avenue and B Street in Pasco.

The two then shot at each other while still in their vehicles on 10th Avenue, just north of West A Street.

Paniagua’s girlfriend, who is Ledezma’s ex-girlfriend, was driving the pickup. She reportedly took off after the shots were fired.

Paniagua of Pasco claimed that Ledezma started the argument.

Officers recovered empty casings from the 10th and A intersection. After later locating the pickup, they found gunshot damage on the outside of the passenger door and handgun cartridge casings inside.

Paniagua arrived at the hospital about 13 minutes after the exchange of gunfire.

Pasco detectives are “following up leads on the whereabouts” of Ledezma, his SUV and both pistols used by the two men, the department’s Facebook post said.

Fled from police

Paniagua was released from prison Jan. 12 with good-time credit on an 8 1/2-year sentence, according to a spokeswoman with the Washington state Department of Corrections.

He had been locked up for admitting to four felonies, including vehicular homicide, first-degree unlawful gun possession and attempting to elude police.

Paniagua, a known gang member, was fleeing from Pasco police on April 2, 2015, after they tried to stop him for a traffic infraction on Sylvester Street near Fifth Avenue.

Paniagua was wanted for failing to pay court fines. He also had a loaded .357-caliber revolver in his pickup and wasn’t allowed to carry a gun because of his criminal history, which then included gang-related assaults and fleeing from police.

Police ended their chase because of the danger to the public, but Paniagua continued to drive recklessly, reaching speeds of 100 mph when he started to lose control.

His truck slammed into Jason Smith’s car going about 85 mph.

Smith, a 36-year-old father of two, had just dropped his youngest daughter off at gymnastics class and was headed to the post office. He was turning his Honda Accord left at Sylvester and Road 36 when he was broadsided by Paniagua’s truck.

The force of the collision sent both vehicles off the road and into a nearby yard.

Paniagua, who then was 23, ran off. He was arrested two weeks later.

Smith died at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland a few hours after the crash. He was a 1997 Kamiakin High graduate and was self-employed as a computer specialist.

Push for ‘Jason’s Law’

Paniagua’s sentence was the maximum allowed under the law at the time.

Smith’s loved ones called the short prison term a slap in the face, given the anguish and trauma they were left to deal with for the rest of their lives.

They told a judge at sentencing that they prayed for Paniagua’s rehabilitation and hoped he would find a new direction in life, but added that it was too soon to be able to forgive.

In March 2016, Gov. Jay Inslee signed “Jason’s Law” named after Jason Smith.

The new law increased the sentencing range for vehicular homicide in a reckless manner from 21 to 27 months to 78 to 102 months.

That gave it the same range as was previously in place for vehicular homicide while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and first-degree manslaughter.

Sen. Sharon Brown, R-Kennewick, sponsored the increased sentencing bill after being approached by Smith’s family.

Anyone with information about Sunday night’s shooting or Ledezma’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact non-emergency dispatch at 509-628-0333, or email Detective Julie Lee at Leej@pasco-wa.gov.

This story was originally published June 14, 2021 at 1:26 PM.