Judge gives two men accused in Vancouver drive-by shooting credit for 24 days served in jail
May 8-Two men were given credit for 24 days served in jail for firing multiple rounds from a 9mm handgun while speeding down Northwest Erwin O. Rieger Memorial Highway in December.
Emilio Gomez, 22, of Vancouver and Marquez Quintero, 20, of Beaverton, Ore., pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court to aiming or discharging a firearm.
Judge Gregory Gonzales sentenced both to 364 days with 340 days of that time suspended for two years.
At sentencing, Gomez told the judge he was ashamed of what he did.
"I was an idiot. Simply just being stupid," he said.
Quintero echoed the sentiment.
Gonzales acknowledged the pair's intent was not malicious, saying the shooting occurred near a burned and presumably abandoned recreational vehicle around 1 a.m. Still, he said there were people nearby who were put at risk.
According to court records, a man living in a van along the road reported that a dark Toyota 4Runner sped past him at 80 to 90 mph around 12:35 a.m., and then he heard about 10 gunshots. The same SUV returned about a minute later. He told police he did not see any other vehicles.
Vancouver police officers driving toward the scene spotted a dark 4Runner heading east on West Mill Plain Boulevard. The vehicle's license plate was registered to Gomez's father, court records state.
Police said Gomez rolled through a red light, prompting a traffic stop at West Mill Plain and Kauffman Avenue. Gomez was driving. Quintero was in the front passenger's seat, and another teen was in the backseat, court records state.
While removing the occupants from the SUV, officers said, they saw a spent 9mm casing on the front passenger floorboard and found a loaded 9mm magazine in the driver's-side door. They also saw a handgun in open view under the front passenger's seat, according to court records.
At the scene where the shots were heard, officers recovered four freshly spent 9mm casings and one unfired round, court records state.
Police spoke with another man who was parked along the road. He told officers the 4Runner's occupants fired a gun from the south of him, which made him fear being shot, according to court documents.
Gomez told officers they drove to the dead end and fired rounds toward the grass, believing no one was in danger. Quintero told officers he fired shots toward the ground, according to court records.
Gomez and Quintero both told police the third person in the SUV was not involved.
Unlock all stories. Stay informed.
Starting at just $1.99/week
Become a subscriber and get unlimited access to every story, plus our ePaper and app for seamless reading anywhere. Stay informed, support local journalism, and stay connected to your community.
Subscribe today
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.