Man arrested in Halloween drive-by-shooting in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man was arrested in connection with a drive-by-shooting Halloween night in Moses Lake.

About 8:55 p.m. a woman contacted MACC Dispatch reporting shots had been fired in the 500 block of South Canterbury Lane. Officers responded to the scene and discovered a blue Ford Expedition had been hit five times by gunfire. A refrigerator/freezer was also struck by a bullet. Police reportedly located six .22 caliber shell casings in the street at the scene, according to police records.

Witnesses reported seeing a small red car leave the area in the moments after the shots were fired, according to Moses Lake Police Department Capt. Dave Sands.

About 12:20 p.m. MLPD officers were near Safeway when they reportedly spotted the suspect vehicle in the parking lot. The driver of the vehicle, identified as Ignacio L. Florez Lopez, 18, of Moses Lake, reportedly drove over a curb into a row of bushes and went over a sidewalk onto South Pioneer Way. Florez Lopez attempted to flee officers and drove down South Chestnut Street to East Seventh Avenue, where his vehicle reportedly stopped. He got out of the vehicle and fled on foot, but was reportedly caught near South Division Street and was taken into custody.

“Officers observed ammunition that appeared to match the shell casings at the shooting scene strewn about the interior of the red vehicle,” Sands said. “They also observed a handgun in the vehicle. The vehicle was impounded pending a search warrant.”

Florez Lopez was booked into the Grant County jail for DUI, hit-and-run, reckless driving and resisting arrest. MLPD detectives will be serving a search warrant on Florez Lopez’s vehicle and will be adding charges in connection with the drive-by-shooting, Sands said. There were no reported injuries. A motive behind the shooting has not been specified.