Two arrested in pistol-whipping incident in Moses Lake
May 9—MOSES LAKE — Two men were arrested Tuesday morning in a domestic incident at an apartment in downtown Moses Lake, according to a statement from the Moses Lake Police Department.
Daniel Natividad Gazca, 28, of Moses Lake was arrested and booked on charges of first-degree burglary — domestic violence, first-degree assault and fourth-degree assault — domestic violence. He was in Grant County Jail as of Thursday.
Damien Walker Ray, 27, of Kennewick, was arrested, booked and released on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, the statement said.
At about 8 a.m. Tuesday, Moses Lake police received a report of a home invasion robbery at an apartment in the 100 block of East Broadway Avenue, according to a statement from the MLPD. It was unclear whose apartment it was, and the report came from a third party, possibly a neighbor, according to MLPD Cpt. Jeff Sursely. When officers arrived outside the apartment, they contacted Ray, who said he had been visiting his girlfriend when her ex, identified as Gazca, entered the apartment and threatened him with a firearm.
As officers approached the apartment, they could hear the sound of a domestic disturbance inside. Officers made contact at the door and took Gazca into custody. The female victim said Gazca had pistol-whipped her, and had injuries to her face consistent with the claim. The victim told officers the gun belonged to Gazca, who had previously lived at the apartment until a few months earlier. However, in the course of the investigation, officers discovered photos posted to social media the night before of Ray posing with the same gun Gazca had allegedly used in the pistol-whipping, which was enough to book Ray for being in possession of the firearm.
The investigation is ongoing, Sursely said.
