Charges amended in Quincy killing

EPHRATA - Two of the people allegedly involved in a Quincy drive-by killing are now charged with first degree murder.

Prosecutors amended the charges against Roberto Murillo Vera, 20, Wenatchee, and Benjamin Lopez Jr., 17, Quincy, in Grant County Superior Court. The two were originally charged with murder in the second degree, drive-by shooting and unlawful possession of a firearm.

The charges against a third person allegedly involved in the shooting, a 16-year-old haven't changed. A 15-year-old juvenile is also accused of being involved in the shooting.

Witnesses reportedly spotted the four people in a 1985 Oldsmobile, when the people in the car allegedly shot and killed Adan Beltran, 25, outside of a D Street Southeast residence, according to a Quincy police report. One of the witnesses allegedly heard one or two shots, before running out and seeing Beltran falling.

They fled the scene, almost striking a vehicle on Fourth Avenue Southeast as they drove westbound out of an alley, according to the police report.

A Douglas County sheriff's deputy spotted the car on state Route 28. A chase ended when officers used spike strips to stop the vehicle, according to the police report.

Murillo-Vera reportedly fled the vehicle. Police allegedly chased and caught him about 100 yards off the road in a nearby orchard.

Police recovered two handguns, a .357 Magnum and a .25 caliber semi-automatic, from the scene, according to the report.

Both the victim and the defendants were members of rival gangs, according to the report.