Admitted shooter now accused of opening fire on man, several homes in east Pasco

A man awaiting sentencing on a June 2014 shooting faces new allegations he opened fire in an east Pasco neighborhood, wounding a man and striking several nearby homes.

Kenyatta T. Turner, 30, appeared Tuesday in Franklin County Superior Court to request a delay in his second-degree assault case.

Shortly after leaving the courtroom, Turner was arrested by Pasco police and booked into the Franklin County jail on suspicion of first-degree assault and two counts of drive-by shooting.

Turner had been out of custody since late last summer.

On Wednesday, Turner was back in court — this time in handcuffs — and Judge Alex Ekstrom found probable cause to hold him on $75,000 bail for the new case.

Deputy Prosecutor Jennifer Johnson had recommended bail be set at $100,000, saying Turner has eight prior felony convictions including unlawful possession of a firearm, possession and delivery of drugs and attempting to elude police.

However, Turner argued for a lower amount, saying he was born in Pasco and makes all of his court dates.

“I’m not going to run from you guys, so I hope (for bail) cheaper than that,” Turner said.

Ekstrom, in granting Turner’s request, said the concern isn’t his failure to appear in court but “the nature of the allegations at this point.”

Some court documents have spelled Turner’s first name as Kenyetta.

The new allegations stem from a March 23, 2014, incident on East Broadway Street. Prosecutors have until Friday to file charges.

Pasco police responded to the neighborhood and found that at least one person had shot George Bernal.

The gunshots also hit several homes that were occupied by multiple people at the time, court documents said. No one was injured inside the homes.

Officers determined at least two different firearms were used after finding a 7.62-caliber casing, 9mm Luger casings and an unfired cartridge. One was believed to be from a high-powered rifle and penetrated the house walls, documents said.

Witnesses reported that the suspects were riding in a purple Dodge Challenger with tinted windows, and that at least one man got out of the car to fire shots.

Police reportedly familiar with the unique vehicle connected it to Traybion Dickerson and found the Dodge later that night at a Pasco motel, court documents said. A witness told police that Dickerson and Turner had been at the motel with the vehicle.

Another witness reported that on the day of the shooting, Dickerson allegedly asked to borrow his vehicle “because he had to take care of something and his vehicle was too conspicuous.” The witness refused the request.

The unfired cartridge found at the shooting scene was tested by the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab and scientists discovered Turner’s DNA, court documents said.

When Turner was later arrested on an unrelated charge of being in possession of a 9mm handgun, officers found he was carrying 7.62-caliber ammunition that was the same brand used in the March 2014 drive-by shooting, documents said.

Dickerson has not been charged in Superior Court for the shooting, court records show.

Turner already is facing a year in prison for his April guilty plea relating to the June 2014 shooting.

He had been charged with first-degree assault and second-degree unlawful possession of a gun, but the charges were reduced in a plea agreement because of uncooperative witnesses.

Turner reportedly stood in the middle of East Butte Street and South Douglas Avenue and fired a pistol at a person in a car on Douglas. He continued to shoot at the car as it drove away.

Callers told police dispatchers that they heard about seven to eight gunshots, and officers recovered 25 shell casings at the scene, according to court documents.

Miguel A. Montenegro was hit in the foot after he ducked behind a vehicle. Police found him in one of the vehicles driving away, and Montenegro and the driver denied being involved.

Turner left the scene in a truck. He turned himself in to police more than two weeks after multiple witnesses identified him as the shooter.

At the time of the guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to recommend the sentence below the standard range of two years and nine months to three years and seven months in prison. Sentencing is set for June 30.

This story was originally published June 17, 2015 at 10:17 PM with the headline "Admitted shooter now accused of opening fire on man, several homes in east Pasco."