Teen accused of shooting a Kennewick father with gun tied to recent murder
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- On Sept. 22 in Kennewick, a 17-year-old allegedly shot a father defending his daughter.
- State law charged him as an adult; he remains held on $1 million bail.
- Investigators linked shell casings to a July murder and another shooting.
A 17-year-old allegedly shot a father with a gun tied to a murder after he tried to stop a fight between his daughter and another girl.
Ayden S. Gonzalez of Pasco is being held in lieu of $1 million bail in the Benton-Franklin Juvenile Detention Center in connection with the Sept. 22 shooting.
He pleaded innocent of charges of first-degree assault with a firearm and illegally possession a firearm on Thursday.
While he is a juvenile, Gonzalez was automatically charged as an adult because of a state law that allows 16- and 17-year-olds charged with certain crimes to face adult charges without a hearing.
Gonzalez was part of a group of teens who went to the 1500 block of Fourth Avenue so a 14-year-old girl could fight the 15-year-old daughter of the victim, court documents said.
One of the teens in the group allegedly sent a message to the 15-year-old on Instagram saying they were outside and that one of them wanted to fight her, court documents said.
It’s not clear if the 15-year-old left the house, but her father did go outside and told them to leave.
The 14-year-old girl looking for the fight responded by trying to pepper spray the man, and then hit him with a metal Stanley mug, court documents said. The father pushed the teen girl down in self-defense.
Gonzalez, who was wearing a balaclava standing behind the man, allegedly responded by shooting at the man four times, hitting him in the back and leg, court documents said. The wounded man was taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center and he is recovering.
Police believe the gun had been modified so it would shoot like an automatic, because the four shots sounded like a single shot on a security video taken of the shooting.
The gun used in the shooting has not been recovered, according to Kennewick police.
Investigators were able to identify Gonzalez as the boyfriend of one of the teenage girls who went with the 14-year-old to the Fourth Avenue house.
Police arrested Gonzalez on Sept. 26 with the help of the Tri-City Metro Drug Task Force. He was riding in a car with another teen.
Investigators found four shell casings at the scene. An analysis of the casings linked the gun to two other major investigations, including the murder of 18-year-old Paul Jacobo in Pasco on July 6.
Two other teens, Edwin J. Magana, 16, and Moises Palomino Rodriguez, 16, are charged with second-degree murder in connection with the killing.
It was also linked to a Benton County case where someone fired 75 shots at an occupied home on Sept. 20.
Police have not said whether they believe Gonzalez was involved in either of those crimes.
This story was originally published October 3, 2025 at 8:47 AM.