Two were arrested in a pistol whipping incident in Moses Lake

May 9—MOSES LAKE — Two men were arrested Tuesday morning in a domestic incident at an apartment in downtown Moses Lake, according to a statement from Moses Lake Police.

Daniel Natividad Gazca, 28, of Moses Lake was arrested and charged with first-degree burglary-domestic violence, first-degree assault and fourth-degree assault-domestic violence. He has been in the Grant County Jail since Thursday.

Damien Walker Ray, 27, of Kennewick, was arrested, arraigned and released on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, the statement said.

According to a statement from MLPD, around 8 a.m. Tuesday, Moses Lake police received a report of a break-in at an apartment in the 100 block of East Broadway Avenue. It was unclear whose residence it was and the report came from a third party, possibly a neighbor, according to MLPD Cpt. Jeff Sursely. When officers arrived at the apartment, they contacted Ray, who said he was visiting his girlfriend when her ex, known as Gazca, entered the apartment and threatened him with a gun.

As officers approached the apartment, they could hear the sounds of a domestic disturbance inside. Officers made contact at the door and took Gazca into custody. The female victim said Gazca pistol-whipped her and suffered facial injuries consistent with the claim. The victim told officers that the gun belonged to Gazca, who had lived in the apartment until several months earlier. However, during the course of the investigation, officers discovered photos posted on social media the night before that showed Ray posing with the same gun Gazca allegedly used in the gun fight, which was enough to charge Ray with possession of the firearm to accuse.

The investigation is still ongoing, Sursely said.