Vancouver police arrested three teenagers, ages 13, 16 and 17, after linking them to a predawn drive-by shooting that left no one injured but turned up a shell casing in the street. Officers responded around 5:45 a.m. Wednesday to the area of West Evergreen Boulevard and Jefferson Street after someone reported shots fired, and investigators say the case quickly led them to a stolen vehicle and, later, the teens, who had fled on foot.
Officers responding to the scene found no shooting victim, but they did find a shell casing in the street, according to the Vancouver Police Department. Patrol officers also identified the person they believed to be the intended target of the shooting and obtained a description of the suspect vehicle, as reported by kptv.com.
That description soon connected to a separate report: a woman had called police to say her teenage son had stolen her car overnight and returned home with two friends before the three left again on foot. The station's report notes that the stolen car matched the suspect vehicle involved in the drive-by shooting, giving investigators the link they needed.
Witnesses Point Police to the Three Teens
Officers tracked down the three teens, and witnesses positively identified them in connection with the shooting. Police booked all three into the Robert L. Harris Juvenile Justice Center, with charges including attempted murder in the first degree and drive-by shooting, according to katu.com.
The teens also face charges of taking a motor vehicle without permission in the second degree and obstructing a law enforcement officer. Police have not released additional details about the intended target or what led to the shooting, the station reports.
Major Crimes Unit Continues Investigating
The Vancouver Police Department's Major Crimes Unit is continuing to investigate the shooting. The department's handling of the case follows a pattern seen earlier this year, when a 17-year-old was booked into the same juvenile facility on firearm-related charges after a separate drive-by shooting investigation in April, according to the City of Vancouver.
For now, the youngest suspect in Wednesday's case remains just 13 years old, and police have not said why the intended target was targeted or what relationship, if any, existed between that person and the teens taken into custody.
