Shooting suspects nabbed in Pierce County

by Richard Byrd
| July 20, 2017 4:00 AM

MOSES LAKE — The two suspects from last week’s shooting in Moses Lake were apprehended on Tuesday in Pierce County.

Damien Garza, 26, of Moses Lake, and Brooke Fike, 22, of Moses Lake, were reportedly located by a U.S. Marshals Task Force. They were apprehended after a pursuit and subsequently booked into the Pierce County Jail, where they are each being held in-lieu of $250,000 bail.

Garza is facing charges in Grant County Superior Court of drive-by-shooting and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. Fike is currently charged with drive-by-shooting (accomplice).

Garza and Fike were allegedly involved in a shooting incident in the evening hours of July 10. Police received a report of shots fired on South Hawthorne Drive and were told by an eyewitness that before the shooting she observed a silver minivan following a red Ford Fusion.

The Fusion reportedly turned onto East Plum Street and pulled a quick U-turn, went back to Hawthorne Drive and stopped south of the Plum Street intersection. The minivan is said to have pulled up next to the Fusion, with a person leaning out of the passenger side window and firing several shots. The intended victim, who was not injured, ran toward a nearby residence and was fired upon at least one more time.

Garza and Fike fled the area and the van was later found parked behind a residence in the 1200 block of South Skyline Drive. Police got into contact with the suspects via cellphone and Fike claimed they left the area en-route to Tacoma to visit Garza’s family. A subject was later contacted by police who claimed he gave Garza and Fike a ride to western Washington after the shooting.

Garza has previous convictions of first-degree manslaughter in 2010, two convictions of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm in 2010 and 2008, a conviction for third-degree assault in 2008, and had a felony warrant out for his arrest for escape of community custody. Fike has no previous felony convictions.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.