QUINCY — A gang member was sentenced for opening fire at a vehicle carrying an adult and two young children in Quincy in January 2016.

Javier Ramos Ramirez, 20, of Quincy, entered guilty pleas in Grant County Superior Court to second-degree assault, third-degree assault and two counts of reckless endangerment. Ramos Ramirez was sentenced to 12 months on the second-degree assault charge and eight months on the third-degree assault charge. He was sentenced to 364 days with 184 days suspended for two years on each of the reckless endangerment counts. The reckless endangerment sentences are set to run consecutive to each other and concurrent with the two assault sentences.

Ramos Ramirez’s sentence stems from an incident on Jan. 17, 2016 when the Quincy Police Department received a report of multiple shots fired in the 300 block of H Street Southeast. A witness to the incident told police he was standing in the 600 block of H Street Southeast and heard three distinct gunshots. He said he saw a Cadillac CTS take off at a “high rate of speed” toward him from where he heard the shots fired, according to court documents.

Police searched the area for shell casings and other evidence and found a 2004 Lincoln Navigator that had been shot three times. Officers contacted the owner of the Navigator, who claimed he was driving the vehicle from George to Quincy with his two small children when the shooting occurred.

He said as he was traveling north on state Route 281 he got stuck behind three cars. He followed one of the vehicles, a Cadillac CTS, to H Street Southeast, where they both turned west. The Cadillac turned onto First Avenue Southeast and the owner of the Navigator continued driving to his home.

“After (the victim) parked his car, he looked up and saw the same Cadillac he was following into Quincy, traveling towards him at a high rate of speed,” wrote an officer. “As the vehicle got next to him he heard two or three gunshots. The Cadillac continued eastbound at a high rate of speed on H Street Southeast.”

Given the description of the Cadillac, an officer suspected Ramos Ramirez, a known gang member, was involved in the shooting, as he was known to drive a similar vehicle and lived near the location of the shooting. The Cadillac was later spotted at a gas station in the 1300 block of Basin Street Southwest in Ephrata.

When Ephrata Police Department officers arrived at the gas station Ramos Ramirez was in the bathroom. The bathroom was searched after Ramos Ramirez exited and a EPD officer found a shotgun shell hidden near the “top of the garbage.” Both Ramos Ramirez and the male he was with denied knowing anything about the shooting and claimed they were at a friend’s house in Quincy.

A search warrant was obtained for the Cadillac, which turned up a loaded Smith & Wesson .357 revolver. The weapon was loaded with six rounds, three of which had been fired. Ramos Ramirez was contacted by law enforcement on Jan. 19 and arrested.

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