Tri-Cities drug deal gone wrong lands 3 in jail for drive-by shooting
Two more people were arrested in connection to a Pasco drug deal that led to a drive-by shooting.
Aaron Davis Lighthall, 23, of Pasco, and Brianna Jeanette Olea, 30, of Richland, were booked into the Franklin County jail in connection with the Aug. 5 shooting on North 18th Avenue.
Cristian M. Munoz-Valdez, 25, was arrested earlier during a Tri-City Regional SWAT team search of a home on the 300 block of Gum Street.
All three face four counts of drive-by shooting in Franklin County Superior Court. Munoz-Valdez and Lighthall also are facing charges of unlawfully possessing a gun.
Lighthall, the alleged shooter, and Olea are being held in the Franklin County jail on $100,00 bail, according to court records. Munoz-Valdez remains in jail on $50,000 bail.
Munoz-Valdez told investigators that he went to the 18th Avenue home to sell drugs on the morning of Aug. 5. Lighthall and Olea drove him to the house in a white Cadillac.
Once he got there, he got into a fight with a man who chased him out of the house and down an alley, according to court records. Lighthall and Olea picked him up down the street
When he told him about the fight, they drove through the alley behind the house, and Lighthall allegedly opened fire, court records said.
A neighbor heard the shots and called 911 at 11:15 a.m.
A least two cars were hit by bullets and three shots went into the back of the house. People were inside but no one was hurt.
Investigators found four .40 caliber shell casings in the alley, as well.
Gum Street
Investigators were able to find surveillance camera footage of the Cadillac in the alley.
They traced it to a home on the 300 block of Gum Street in Kennewick.
With the help of the Tri-City Regional SWAT team and Kennewick police, they searched the house and found Munoz-Valdez inside.
A search of the Cadillac turned up a bag filled with ammunition with “Lighthall” written on it. Lighthall also had posted a video on social media nine hours earlier showing a gun tucked into his pants.
Pasco detectives found and arrested Lighthall and Olea late Wednesday night, according to the Pasco Police Department.
Police are still asking for anyone with additional information on the incidents to call the non-emergency dispatch number at 409-628-0333 or email Detective Jed Abastillas at abastillasj@pasco-wa.gov.
This story was originally published September 5, 2021 at 5:00 AM.