Man sentenced in connection with Moses Lake drive-by

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man will be spending almost four years in prison in connection with a July drive-by shooting in Moses Lake.

Damien Garza, 26, of Moses Lake, pleaded guilty in Grant County Superior Court to drive-by shooting and received a 45-month prison sentence. Garza was initially charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, but the charge was dismissed in a plea agreement.

Garza’s co-defendant, Brooke Fike, 22, of Moses Lake, reached a plea agreement in which she pleaded guilty to forgery in connection with a 2015 case and received a 60-day jail sentence. Fike was initially charged with drive-by shooting (accomplice) for her involvement in a July 10 incident in which the Moses Lake Police Department received a report of shots fired on South Hawthorne Drive. A witness reported seeing a red Ford Fusion being followed by a silver minivan.

The Fusion turned east onto East Plum Street, did a quick U-turn, went back to Hawthorne Drive and stopped just south of the Plum Street intersection, according to court documents.

The minivan pulled up next to the Fusion and Garza, who was in the passenger seat, leaned out of the car and fired several shots. The male in the Fusion ran toward a nearby residence and was fired upon one more time. The intended victim was not hit by gunfire. The Fusion was hit by gunfire, as was the house the victim was running toward.

Garza and Fike fled the area after the shooting and the van was found parked behind a residence in the 1200 block of South Skyline Drive. Officers were able to get hold of Fike and Garza via cellphone. Fike claimed they had dropped the van off at the house and left to Tacoma to visit Garza’s family.

A man later told police he gave Garza and Fike a ride to western Washington and dropped them off by a “large mall.” Garza and Fike were later apprehended by a U.S. Marshals Task Force in Pierce County. Police obtained video surveillance of a confrontation between the intended victim and the suspects at the Moses Lake Walmart before the shooting.

Garza has previous convictions for first-degree manslaughter in 2010, two convictions for second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm in 2010 and 2008, third-degree assault in 2008 and had a felony warrant out for his arrest at the time of the shooting.

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