A Houston gang member has been sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in a 2019 crime spree that left five people dead, including a grieving elderly couple.
Christian Ivan Cavazos, 22, was convicted for his role in three shootings that left five dead and several others injured, following an investigation by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the FBI.
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The crime spree began on Sept. 6, 2019, when Cavazos opened fire on a vehicle north of Jersey Village, killing 19-year-old Ryan McGowan.
Later that month, on Sept. 25, Cavazos and his group followed a Dodge Charger, mistaking it for a rival gang member’s car. The vehicle actually belonged to Ramiro and Rosalva Reyes, who were leaving a hospital where Mrs. Reyes’ elderly mother had just died. The grieving couple was followed to their northwest Houston home by Cavazos and his group, where they were fatally shot while getting out of their car.
Cavazos’ final act of violence happened on Dec. 27, 2019, during a drive-by shooting at an outdoor music video set in north Harris County. Two men, Gonzalo Andrew Gonzalez, 22, and Jonathan Jimenez, 20, were killed, and seven others were injured in the attack.
Cavazos pleaded guilty to three counts of murder before receiving his life sentence from a judge after a hearing detailing all five murders. Assistant District Attorney Napoleon Stewart, who prosecuted the case, said Cavazos “got what he deserved.”
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Following the sentencing, family and friends of the victims delivered emotional impact statements, many wearing custom buttons displaying photos of the five slain individuals.
“Many families will never have peace because of the indiscriminate violence this man inflicted on our community,” said District Attorney Kim Ogg in a press release. “Justice demanded that he be sentenced to life in prison.”