LONGVIEW, WA – A birthday celebration turned into a deadly crime scene Saturday night when a 49-year-old Kelso man allegedly opened fire on two cousins outside a quinceañera venue, later telling police the victims were to blame for their own deaths. Authorities say the suspect, Andres Carrasco-Sanchez, claimed the men had been “smiling at his girlfriend” and making “prolonged eye contact,” which he “perceived as flirting.”
Carrasco-Sanchez is charged with murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and attempting to elude a police vehicle in connection with the deaths of Cristian Segundo and Serjio Segundo. According to an arrest affidavit obtained by KATU, the suspect left the party, retrieved a firearm from his home, then returned and shot the victims outside the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers hall in Longview.
Suspect’s statements to police detailed in affidavit
“Andres explained he felt both victims and a third unidentified person had been making prolonged eye contact and smiling at his girlfriend … that he perceived as flirting,” the affidavit states, according to KATU. When questioned about the killings, Carrasco-Sanchez allegedly told investigators, “It was their fault, they started it.”
Police say the suspect fled the scene immediately after the shooting, prompting a pursuit. During the chase, he allegedly attempted to discard the weapon by throwing it out of his car window before being taken into custody.
Victims remembered as family seeks answers
Family members of the victims are now grappling with the sudden loss. “They don’t deserve this,” said Cristian Segundo’s girlfriend, Violeta, in an interview with KPTV. She said Cristian had briefly left the party with her earlier that evening but later returned.
“I don’t know why he went back,” Violeta told KPTV. “Why did he have to go back?”
Carrasco-Sanchez is being held without bond and is scheduled to appear in court Thursday as the investigation continues.