Third man arrested Sunday in shooting at deputy

A third suspected gang member was arrested in connection with a shooting incident that targeted a Carson City Sheriff's deputy on Saturday night.

Gustavo Mejia, 22, was arrested Sunday and charged with suspicion of felony attempted murder of a police officer, said Carson City Sheriff Kenny Furlong.

Furlong said Mejia was the owner of a car from which a shot was fired at about 11 p.m. Saturday night at Sheriff's Deputy Gary Underhill as he sat in his patrol car in the 2600 block of College Parkway running radar. He said Mejia was sitting in the back seat of the car when the shot was fired.

Furlong said the shot did not hit the deputy or the car. A bullet has not yet been recovered, he said. The Washoe County Crime Lab processed the scene, and the Nevada Division of Investigations is in charge of the investigation.

"NDI will handle the case," Furlong said. "It was a decision that was made because our officer was a victim."

He said Underhill did not return fire.

Furlong said the deputy targeted was running radar at College Parkway just before 11 p.m. Saturday as a vehicle containing four people approached from the east. Someone inside the vehicle pointed a gun out of the car window and fired at the deputy, Furlong said.

The suspected shooter, Paul Perez, 22, was taken into custody Saturday. Furlong said Perez and Mejia are members of a well-known Hispanic street gang called the Bambinos.

Furlong said Perez has a long history with guns and gang activity.

The second man arrested, Abel Rivera, 34, is also a gang member, Furlong said.

All three suspects are from Carson City.

Furlong said a gang member firing at a law enforcement officer who had not instigated contact takes things up a notch in the battle between gangs and the sheriff's office.

"This is as bizarre as they get," he said. "Without confrontation, without any significant event, just to randomly shoot at a police officer is as bizarre as anyone can get. You know that cop is going to come after you."

Furlong said he did not know if drugs or alcohol was involved in the incident.

He said deputies did collect the gun they believe was used in the shooting.

Several other gang members found in the area at the time also were taken into department custody.

Christian Edgardo Quirartes, 22, and Didier Uriel Moguel, 22, both of Carson City, were arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor violation of probation when it was found their probation prohibited them from associating with gang members.