A man accused of shooting at his ex-girlfriend in Winlock early Saturday morning has been charged with first-degree assault, domestic violence, in Lewis County Superior Court.
Bail is set at $300,000.
No injuries were reported as a result of the shooting incident, which was reported in the 100 block of Markum Lane in Winlock at approximately 1:18 a.m. on Saturday, July 20, according to court documents.
The victim reported she had gone to the home of her ex-boyfriend, identified as Luis Alonso Flores Barrera, 33, of Winlock, to pick up her kids following a weekend visit.
While she was at the residence, Flores Barrera reportedly became upset after he told her he wanted to “rekindle the relationship” and she “said she did not want to be in a relationship with him,” according to court documents. Flores Barrera reportedly began yelling at the victim and told her to leave.
The victim reported “she was getting scared, so she went out to her vehicle without the children,” according to court documents.
As she began driving her Nissan Altima, she reported hearing “what she described as ‘popping noises’” and “seeing ‘fire blast’ coming from where Flores Barrera was,” according to court documents.
She then called 911 and waited for police to contact her near the Markum Lane residence.
“Upon contact, (the victim) appeared very distraught and upset,” a responding deputy with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office noted, adding that, “She was very concerned about the welfare of her children.”
A deputy who examined the victim’s vehicle found damage to the car’s left rear tire, including an impact from the bullet to the left wheel. He also observed “a fresh, through-and-through bullet hole in the bottom portion of the running board of her vehicle,” according to court documents.
Neighbors who were later interviewed by law enforcement reported hearing gunshots, seeing a vehicle drive away from Flores Barrera and seeing Flores Barrera walk back into the residence, according to court documents. One neighbor reportedly caught footage of some of the gunshots. Another neighbor reportedly called Flores Barrera to ask what had happened, and “Flores Barrera indicated that he was shooting at racoons,” according to court documents.
The deputy and other law enforcement personnel were reportedly “able to get Flores Barrera to exit the residence” on Saturday, according to court documents. Flores Barrera reportedly invoked his right to remain silent and was not questioned before he was booked into the Lewis County Jail for first-degree assault at 2:48 a.m. on July 20, according to court documents and jail records.
Investigators reportedly found fired bullet casings on the ground next to the front porch and in the driveway of the residence, according to court documents. After obtaining Flores Barrera’s permission to enter his house, investigators secured the children and reunited them with their mother.
Investigators later obtained a search warrant for the residence and, after extensive searching, found a grocery store bag hidden in a bush on the property that contained two boxes of 9mm ammunition and a .357 revolver, according to court documents. A 9mm firearm was not located at the scene. The revolver contained bullets matching the casings found at the scene, according to a statement made by a deputy prosecutor during a hearing on Monday.
Investigators noted, “The bag appeared to have been recently placed in this location as there was no dew on the bag while there was dew on the ground.”
Flores Barrera’s bail was set at $250,000 over the weekend. That bail was increased to $300,000 on Monday, July 22, when he was formally charged in Lewis County Superior Court and had his preliminary hearing before Commissioner Paul Strophy.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, July 25.
A no-contact order protecting the victim is in place.
