Gang member sentenced to 5+ years in prison for Salem shooting that injured 2 in 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A man was sentenced in a Marion County court Thursday for committing a shooting in Salem in 2022 that injured two people when he was just 17 years old. 

The now 18-year-old Saul Sosa-Medina was sentenced to nearly six years in prison with an adult conviction of second-degree assault with a firearm and two juvenile convictions: first-degree attempted assault and unlawful use of a weapon, the Marion County District Attorney announced.

Sosa-Medina committed the shooting in Aug. 2022, injuring one girl and one woman. One 17-year-old victim was struck in the hip. Another person, 23-year-old Ryna Dawn Keener, had two injuries: one in the hand and one in the right hip. Both people were transported to a hospital but neither one of their injuries was considered life-threatening. 

Sosa-Medina had been with two other boys at the time, walking through the Evergreen Park Apartment parking lot, near the location of the girl and woman. It’s unclear what Sosa-Medina’s motivation was. However, he later admitted to authorities to being an active gang member.

Sosa-Medina reportedly fired just a single shot at the victims then fled south and was apprehended by Salem police less than an hour later near Englewood Park. At the time, Sosa-Medina denied firing the gun but admitted to being in the area. 

In Oregon, a judge can decide to sentence a juvenile as an adult, if an analysis determines the crime and circumstances are considered warranted for such a move. That’s what happened here, except it was a split sentence with one charge treated as an adult and the other two treated as juvenile charges due to a deal made between the defendant’s counsel and the prosecution. 

Sosa-Medina will serve out the 70-month sentence, in total, at the Oregon Youth Authority for all of the charges. However, he will be eligible for release halfway through the sentence due to a “second look” legal process, officials said.