In a case that has been closely followed by the Clackamas community since last year, the second defendant involved in the shooting of a teenager at Clackamas Town Center has entered a guilty plea. On Friday, a Clackamas County Circuit Court received Carlos Raul Hererra-Medrano's plea of guilty to charges of Assault in the Second Degree and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. As reported by Clackamas County's official news release, Herrera-Medrano, 20, received a 70-month sentence for assault and a concurrent 60-month sentence for the weapons charge.
This sentencing follows that of co-defendant Pedro Anthony Cornejo-Morales, who, aged 19, had previously pleaded guilty to Attempted Murder in the Second Degree and Unlawful Use of a Weapon on June 4. After attempting to execute a teenager in a mall parking lot, Cornejo-Morales was handed a 90-month prison term. The victim, 15-year-old Zenon Elias Mendez, survived the attack with a gunshot wound to his left hand after gunfire erupted on December 20, 2024.
It's understood from the narrative offered by Deputy District Attorney Josh Cutino that Herrera-Medrano, Cornejo-Morales, and Mendez were acquainted before the dispute that culminated in violence. The prosecutors outlined that the suspects stalked Mendez at the shopping center, with the victim and his female companion realizing the imminent danger. When they tried to leave the area, the perpetrators confronted their vehicle; Herrera-Medrano used his gun to intimidate the driver, as Cornejo-Morales commenced the shooting.
Acting on their feet, law enforcement swiftly apprehended Cornejo-Morales near the scene, while Hererra-Medrano evaded capture until December 31. Both young men, residents of Gresham, faced the consequences of their actions in court as presented by Cutino and fellow Deputy District Attorney Jeremy Morrow. A short time later, following the incident, Cornejo-Morales was detained close to the mall, with Herrera-Medrano's arrest concluding the manhunt towards the year's end.
