Twenty-three-year-old Aleksey Suturin of Vancouver was arrested on multiple charges and was booked into the Clark County Jail

A 23-year-old Vancouver man has been arrested and charged with multiple crimes after a series of drive-by shootings at multiple locations, including two Vancouver churches.

On Tuesday (April 9) at about 1:41 a.m., Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) deputies responded to the report of shots heard in the area of NE Saint Johns Road and NE LaLonde Drive.  

About 10 minutes later, the reporting party called back into 9-1-1 after reviewing their home surveillance footage and advised they could see the headlights of a car enter the parking lot of the Seventh Day Adventist Church at 9711 NE Saint Johns Road just before the shots were heard.  Deputies located numerous 9mm bullet casings in the parking lot of the church and damage from bullets to the front of the church building.   

At 1:57 a.m., several 9-1-1 callers reported multiple shots heard in the area of NW 99^th Street and NW 9^th Avenue.   Deputies arrived and found 17 bullet casings on the ground at the Kessid Columbia Church at 907 NW 99^th Street. Deputies observed that the windows of the church building had been damaged, likely from gunfire.  They also found three bullet casings near an unoccupied Kia SUV parked in the church parking lot and found it had been struck by bullets at least three times.

At 2:03 a.m., while investigating the damage at Seventh Day Adventist Church, deputies heard multiple gunshots coming from the west. A deputy observed a blue SUV driving in the area of the shots heard with the lights “blacked out” heading westbound on NE 99^th Street. The deputy turned to follow the vehicle. At that time, the vehicle began driving recklessly, speeding northbound on NE Highway 99 and driving in the oncoming lanes with no lights on.  Deputies did not attempt a stop at that time but were able to get license plate information from the vehicle, a blue Toyota Highlander. The vehicle was registered to an address in Felida.

Deputies surveyed the residence where the vehicle was registered and saw no sign of it. They phoned the registered owner of the vehicle, who advised that he was out of town but that his adult son and his wife should be home. Deputies made contact with an adult female at the residence. She stated her adult son should have been there, but he was not, and she didn’t know when he had left. An empty SIG SAUER pistol case was located at the residence. With the information they obtained, deputies believed the adult son, Aleksey Suturin, was a suspect in the shootings.

At 3:29 a.m., deputies still in the area of the Kessid Columbia Church, heard a single gunshot from the area of Columbia River High School. They checked the area and located a vehicle in the parking lot with a bullet hole in the windshield.

At 3:36 a.m., deputies near the suspect’s residence observed the suspect vehicle “blacked out” and driving slowly into the neighborhood. When the suspect saw deputies, he again took off northbound recklessly and was last seen in the area of NW 199^th Street and NW 41^st Ave.

Deputies continued to roam the area, attempting to locate the vehicle. A short time later, deputies observed the suspect vehicle near NW 139^th Street and NW 2^nd Avenue, at which time the vehicle quickly accelerated and turned south onto Interstate 5. Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle, but it eluded. Deputies successfully “spiked” the vehicle’s tires on Interstate 5 south of NE 99^th Street.  The vehicle continued before stopping on the shoulder of Interstate 5 just north of Main Street. The suspect exited the vehicle and ran south on Interstate 5. He was followed and observed from a distance until more units arrived. The subject eventually complied with commands from deputies, and he was taken into custody without incident. 

The subject was identified as Aleksey Suturin, 23, of Vancouver. Suturin was found to be wearing body armor under a jacket with several 9mm pistol magazines on it.  Once back at the vehicle, deputies observed a SIG SAUER handgun on the driver’s seat floorboard of his vehicle, as well as multiple loose, what appeared to be 9mm rounds lying on the front seats.  The vehicle was seized pending a search warrant.

Suturin was booked into the Clark County Jail on two counts of Drive-By Shooting, two counts of Malicious Mischief 1^st degree, one count of Malicious Mischief 2^nd degree, one count of Attempt to Elude, and two counts of Reckless Driving.

At least two churches and two vehicles were damaged during the incident. This is an active investigation, and detectives from the CCSO Major Crimes Unit (MCU) will be conducting further investigation into the shootings.

Information provided by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.