Gang member upset his ex was dating someone else opened fire in Kennewick, say police
Miguel Vargas wanted to see his ex-girlfriend, so he contacted her through Facebook messenger.
When she turned him down on July 8, the 19-year-old drove with another man to the house on West Sixth Avenue. They got out and started firing, according to court records.
Several bullets punched through vehicles and into the house while Vargas’ ex-girlfriend, her new boyfriend and two others were watching TV.
One bullet came within a few feet of a 14-year-old girl. The shot sprayed drywall, which cut her cheek, according to court records. Another shot hit the television they were watching.
Kennewick police and U.S. Marshals arrested Vargas on Tuesday after a $100,000 nationwide arrest warrant was issued for him on Nov. 4.
He is in Benton County jail facing charges of drive-by shooting and first-degree assault in connection with the shooting.
Vargas, a gang member, is tied to a string of drive-by shootings in Kennewick starting in October 2020, said Lt. Jason Kiel.
The arrest is a victory for Kennewick police as they deal with a resurgence in violent crime in the city, Kiel said.
Crime had dipped in 2020, but starting in the summer the city has seen five homicides. Violent crimes are up 30 percent.
The city has been hit with 19 drive-by shootings by Oct. 29 compared to 12 for all of 2020.
July 19 shooting
Vargas had a brief romantic relationship with an 18-year-old woman, but she hadn’t heard from him for several weeks when he contacted her through Facebook, she told investigators.
When she told him that she was dating someone knew, Vargas asked “does her boyfriend bang,” according to court records. He was referring to whether he engaged in criminal activity as part of a gang.
She said he wasn’t a gang member, and there were several family members at the house.
“The defendant responded, ‘West Side,’ and then hung up,” according to court records.
A surveillance video showed the two men arrive in a vehicle, run to the house and fire several shots.
Vargas also is suspected in a shootout outside of his sister’s Fifth Avenue apartment on Aug. 8. Police said they found 9mm casings that matched the bullets used in the July shooting. Those casings matched the ones found in a 9mm handgun inside Vargas’ sister’s apartment, said police.
This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 12:55 PM.