Man held without bail in fatal shooting

A man accused in a June 15 shooting that killed one and injured two others will be held without bail until a follow-up hearing and arraignment later this week.

Isaiah Florentino Mattoon Pantoja, 19, made a brief first appearance Monday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree assault following the fatal shooting in the 3500 block of Creston Avenue in Vancouver’s Lincoln neighborhood. London Jasiah Walker, 19, of Camas, died from multiple gunshot wounds while attending an Airbnb house party.

People packed multiple rows in the courtroom wearing white T-shirts paying tribute to Walker.

Judge Derek Vanderwood ordered Pantoja be held without bail and have no contact with the two other victims, a 17-year-old girl and 15-year-old boy, who were shot but are expected to survive. Vanderwood set a bail hearing for Thursday and arraignment for Friday.

After moving to the next item on the court docket, several people watching remotely began arguing in the Zoom chat about Pantoja and Walker, including a user identified as Amani Jackson, who was allegedly involved in a fight with Walker before the shooting, according to court records.

Vanderwood warned that their actions can result in being banned from future court appearances, and material in the chat can be forwarded to law enforcement if necessary.

The Clark County Regional SWAT Team and Vancouver police arrested Pantoja on June 18 after detectives reviewed multiple videos of the fight, where Pantoja was seen in the background before the shooting, and interviewed several witnesses.

According to court records, Vancouver police officers responded at 12:37 a.m. to a large party on Creston Avenue after several 911 callers reported a shooting in the area.

Officers arrived to find several bystanders in the road providing CPR to Walker, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was later declared dead at the scene. A 17-year-old girl was taken to a hospital after being shot in the chest, and a 15-year-old boy was grazed by a bullet after standing several feet away from the shooter, according to court records.

Investigators determined a fight broke out in the street outside the residence involving Walker, Jackson and another person identified as “Trey,” court records state. Multiple witnesses told investigators a man matching Pantoja’s description brandished a firearm during the altercation.

Later at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, where the 17-year-old girl was taken, officers detained Pantoja to interview him. Pantoja told police he was at the scene but was not involved in the shooting. Police did not find a firearm in Pantoja’s car during a subsequent search at the hospital, court records state.

A witness who wasn’t present at the scene later spoke to Pantoja and told investigators Pantoja got rid of his firearm “because he did not need it anymore,” court records state.

Another witness interviewed by police Thursday who knew Pantoja from school described seeing Pantoja rack a semi-automatic firearm and shoot Walker approximately 15-20 seconds later, according to court records. The witness told investigators Walker attempted to run away and collapsed a short distance away.

Though some witnesses initially believed multiple guns were involved in the confrontation, evidence collected by police at the scene suggested only one firearm was discharged, according to court records.

“There is no evidence to suggest at this time that London Walker was armed with a firearm during this event and no firearm was located on his person,” court records state.