EVERETT — Edgar Calixto hadn’t had his driver’s license long when he gave two buddies a ride in his dad’s Lincoln.
That early morning ride in December may cost the teen nearly two decades of freedom.
Calixto and his friends stopped near a south Everett house, where rival gang members were partying. Minutes later, Anthony Camacho, 17, was lying on the ground in a pool of blood.
Prosecutors allege that Diego Tavares, then 19, shot Camacho over a gang beef that had spawned bloodshed and violence in the past. Camacho suffered a gunshot wound to the head. He died at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Calixto, now 17, pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder for the Dec. 12 shooting. He faces between 10 and 18 years in prison. Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Craig Matheson plans to recommend a 12-year sentence. Calixto is being prosecuted as an adult because of the serious nature of the crime.
“The murder was apparently part of the ongoing violence between various gangs in south Everett,” Matheson wrote in charging papers.
Snohomish County sheriff’s detectives are investigating a drive-by shooting directed at the same south Everett house just last month. Police recovered spent casings and a bullet, sheriff’s spokeswoman Shari Ireton said. One shot shattered a front window and two others damaged the garage door. A vehicle parked outside the house also was hit by gunfire.
Witnesses reported seeing a Cadillac slowly drive by the location just before bullets started flying. Another witness told police her children have had problems with gang members in the past.
No one was hurt, and no arrests have been made. Detectives impounded a vehicle to search for evidence.
Police have not said if the Aug. 19 shooting is tied to Camacho’s death or the ongoing rivalry.
Camacho was a student at ACES high school in the Mukilteo School District and was just a few days shy of turning 18. His friends and family are convinced his death was the result of the teen being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
He knew people who were involved in gangs, but he was not, a friend told The Daily Herald.
The alleged shooter, Tavares, 20, is charged with first-degree murder. He is scheduled to go to trial in February.
A third defendant, Guillermo Padilla, also pleaded guilty earlier this year to second-degree murder. The 16-year-old admitted he gave Tavares a loaded handgun, knowing his friend was out for blood.
Calixto told detectives Tavares was “amped up” when he recounted how rival gang members shot at him the previous day. Tavares wanted revenge, Calixto told police.
Tavares saw on Facebook the other gang was having a party Dec. 11. He allegedly arranged to meet up with Padilla and Calixto. Tavares and the other boys were driving around south Everett early Dec. 12. Calixto parked after Tavares allegedly said he saw some of the guys that shot at him standing on a patio in the 12000 block of Fourth Place W.
Padilla told detectives Tavares asked for a weapon and he passed him a .22-caliber handgun. Padilla said he knew something bad was going to happen. Tavares hopped out of the car. Calixto and Padilla remained behind and reported hearing gunshots. Tavares ran back to the car and yelled at Calixto to drive. He handed the gun back to Padilla, court papers said.
Padilla later gave the handgun to an acquaintance. He and Calixto told police they were both armed with other guns at the time of the shooting. Detectives seized guns when the boys were arrested at their homes.
Investigators also impounded the Lincoln.
“A search of the vehicle ultimately turned up nothing of value other than a blue bandana wrapped around the steering column,” Matheson wrote.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
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