Moses Lake duo charged in connection with assault involving gun

MOSES LAKE — A man and women allegedly left their two small children in their vehicle as they were involved in an altercation with another group of people in Moses Lake last week. A gun was reportedly brandished and shot during the altercation.

Grant County prosecutors charged Brittney Carlson, 24, of Moses Lake, with second-degree assault-accomplice and fourth-degree assault. Carlson’s co-defendant, Tyler Hill, 22, of Moses Lake, is currently charged with second-degree assault.

Carlson and Hill’s charges stem from an incident on Thursday in Moses Lake, when the Grant County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an altercation at a residence in the 3000 block of Westshore Drive in which two shots were fired. Deputies were able to piece together that Hill and Carlson had visited several different places in search of a man and woman before they arrived at the location of the altercation on Westshore Drive about 12:35 p.m., according to court documents.

When the suspects arrived they reportedly began arguing with a man and two women. Carlson and Hill were told to leave the residence several times, but refused. Carlson allegedly walked up to one of the women and started punching her. The victim started fighting back and was thrown down onto the ground by Carlson, after which Carlson reportedly got on top of the woman and started punching her in the face.

Hill and another male at the residence attempted to break up the fight between the women, which resulted in the other male putting his arm around Carlson’s neck and pulling her away from the scuffle. Hill then allegedly began assaulting the man. Another male who was at the residence attempted to separate Hill and the other male, but he reportedly ended up getting punched in the face by Hill.

At some point during the incident Carlson brandished a handgun after she was pulled off the woman she was punching. The man who pulled Carlson off the female victim grabbed the gun and attempted to unload it.

“(The man) ejected one live round (ammunition) on the ground, but as he let go of the slide the firearm discharged into the ground due to (the man’s) finger being on the trigger,” wrote a deputy.

Hill allegedly got into a struggle with the man over the gun and was able to grab it from him. Hill and Carlson went back to their vehicle, in which their 2-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter were passengers, and Hill allegedly fired a shot near the group of people at the residence, striking the left rear tire of a truck.

The suspects were later contacted at a residence in the 4000 block of Road E.9 Northeast in Moses Lake and arrested.

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