Gang Member Sentenced to 15 Years for Shooting, Personal Use of a Firearm, and Causing Great Bodily Injury

Defendant Marcos Dionicio Vazquez, 22 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today by the Honorable Dana Simonds to 15 years in state prison after having pled guilty in February of this year to charges of assault with a semi-automatic firearm causing great bodily injury, and enhancements for personal use of a firearm, and committing the shooting for the benefit of a criminal street gang.

District Attorney Ravitch stated, “This was a calculated attack where the defendant positioned himself for a quick escape after shooting a perceived gang rival. Thankfully the defendant was apprehended quickly, and will now spend a significant amount of his life incarcerated.”

The charges resulted from a gang-related shooting that occurred on June 27, 2016, at the Puerto Villa Apartments in Santa Rosa. On that date Vazquez opened fire on the unsuspecting victim as the victim stood near a vehicle conversing with its occupants. The victim was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital where he was treated for serious, but non-life threatening, injuries.

Following the shooting, an investigation by the Santa Rosa Police Department led to the victims positively identifying Marcos Vazquez as the shooter.

The case was prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Anne Masterson and Deputy District Attorney Christopher Brown. The Santa Rosa Police Department Gang Unit headed the investigation.