LONGVIEW, Wash. – A man from Longview, Washington was sentenced to a decade in prison in connection to a series of drive-by shootings in the Longview-Kelso area in 2022. Andres Gabriel Gonzalez, 20, reached a plea deal in January for three counts of a drive-by shooting and one count of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. His 10-year sentence was the maximum term allowed by state law for his charges, based on his criminal history.

The shootings took place in January between 1:13 a.m. and 2:13 a.m., with two occurring in Kelso and one in Longview. Although none of the 13 people near the gunfire were injured, a no-contact order was issued for all of them until December 13, 2033. Many of the victims are Micronesian, according to court records.

Reports indicate that the shootings were likely in retaliation to a break-in at a home associated with one of the suspects, Riki Aron Vasquez-Bracken, 22, of Longview. Gonzalez, who has five prior felony convictions, along with his three co-defendants, admitted to carrying out the drive-by shootings.

Law enforcement found 9-millimeter and .40-caliber casings, bullets, and bullet fragments from all three crime scenes. A .40-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun was also discovered after authorities searched a suspect’s Honda, according to a police report.

The incidents culminated in a police pursuit across the Lewis and Clark Bridge into Rainier, with one of the suspects attempting to drive the wrong way down U.S. Highway 30 before being stopped by officers. Besides Gonzalez, his co-defendants received sentences ranging from 13.5 to 18 years in state prison and several years of community custody for their involvement in the shootings.

In the end, none of the victims were injured, but the individuals responsible for these dangerous and retaliatory actions have been held accountable for their crimes in the Longview-Kelso area.