Moses Lake man arrested in connection with March 8 shooting
Rep. Tom Dent, Moses Lake, expressed concern about the increasing lack of civil communication after his son was shot in a recent Moses Lake incident.
COURTESY PHOTO/OFFICE OF TOM DENT
MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man was arrested Friday in connection with a March 8 shooting on Stratford Road in Moses Lake.
Luis Medina, 27, was arrested in Moses Lake and booked into the Grant County Jail on suspicion of first-degree assault and drive-by shooting, said Moses Lake Police Department Captain Jeff Sursely in a press release.
The shooting injured Monty Dent, 32, Moses Lake. Dent was hit in the arm and back; his father, Tom Dent, a Republican who serves in the Washington House of Representatives, said the nature of the back injury caused him to be airlifted to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. His son has since been released from the hospital and is recuperating.
“During the arrest, a gun was recovered from the suspect’s vehicle and will be tested to see if it was the gun used in the assault,” Sursely said.
Moses Lake Police Department officers were summoned to a report of an argument in the 1100 block of Stratford Road on the evening of March 8. When they arrived at the fight scene, they received notification of a shooting at Stratford Road and Maple Drive Northeast.
“A witness described a white sedan pulling up next to the victim and firing several shots into the vehicle as they traveled northbound on Stratford Road,” Sursely said.
Rep. Dent was participating in the 2025 Washington Legislative Session, but emergencies don't respect time nor place, he said. His wife was also away from home.
“I’m really concerned with the anger that’s in the community,” Dent said. “What are we doing that’s creating this?”
Dent said it’s more common now for people to respond to aggravation with violence, which isn’t a good trend.
“We need to address this in a different way. We need to look for the cause,” he said. “The COVID thing really changed things a lot – people were isolated and unable to have the normal social interactions. They were just shut down and left alone.”
That made the trend worse but didn’t cause it, he said.
“How are we going to reverse this trend that we’re faced with right now?” he said. “That’s my big concern.”
His legislative colleagues rallied around, he said.
“I’m really grateful for that, for the support of the Legislature,” he said. “All the members on both sides (of the aisle) reached out – unbelievably so. They check in with me every day.”
Governor Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, offered the use of the governor’s plane to ensure Dent got to Spokane as quickly as possible, he said. He also got a ride from the airport to the hospital.
Dent said he’s a longtime supporter of more severe penalties for crimes that involve guns and will advocate for that.
“No matter what, this is not what a polite society does,” he said.