A 30-year-old Sandy man is facing attempted murder charges after Columbia County deputies say he fired a gun through the rear window of another driver's car during a roadside confrontation on Highway 30 near Goble earlier this month. Xavier Cerrillo was booked into the Columbia County Jail this week following a search of his home and vehicles that investigators say turned up a stolen firearm and ammunition.
A Stalled SUV and a Shot Through Glass
The shooting happened on Sept. 10, when a 911 caller reported a dark-colored SUV towing an ATV trailer stopped in the middle of Highway 30 near Goble, according to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. A driver fired a gun through the rear window of the victim's car during the encounter, and the victim then drove directly to the sheriff's office to report the crime rather than waiting at the scene. The suspect was not immediately located that day, leaving investigators to piece together what happened after the fact.
Detectives spent the following days building a case using evidence and surveillance video, which the sheriff's office says ultimately led them to identify Cerrillo as the suspect. That identification set up a search that would prove pivotal to the case, according to the same account.
Search Turns Up Stolen Firearm
On Sept. 23, deputies searched Cerrillo's home and vehicles and reported finding a stolen firearm and ammunition inside, per the sheriff's office. That discovery, paired with the earlier identification work, led to Cerrillo's arrest and booking into the Columbia County Jail.
Cerrillo now faces a lengthy list of charges: second-degree attempted murder, first-degree attempted assault, first-degree criminal mischief, felon in possession of a firearm, reckless endangering, menacing, and unlawful use of a weapon. The sheriff's office has released no other details about the investigation, and the case was also covered by KGW.
