Houston Gang Member Sentenced to Life for 2019 Shooting Spree that Left Five Dead
A documented Houston gang member, Christian Ivan Cavazos, 22, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for his involvement in a series of shootings that killed five people in 2019, according to Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.
Cavazos’s crime spree began on September 6, 2019, when he and others opened fire on a vehicle, wounding the driver and fatally shooting 19-year-old Ryan McGowan, who was in the backseat. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the FBI, investigated the case.
Later that month, on September 25, Cavazos and his group mistook a purple Dodge Charger, owned by 65-year-old Ramiro Reyes and his wife, Rosalva Reyes, for a rival gang member’s vehicle. The couple was shot and killed as they returned home from a hospital visit following the death of Rosalva’s mother.
The final shooting occurred on December 27, 2019, when Cavazos participated in a drive-by shooting at an outdoor film set in north Harris County, resulting in the deaths of videographer Gonzalo Andrew Gonzalez, 22, and Jonathan Jimenez, 20, along with injuries to seven others.
Cavazos initially faced capital murder charges but pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, allowing a judge to determine his sentence. During the sentencing hearing, the judge reviewed details of all five killings before imposing the life sentence.
Assistant District Attorney Napoleon Stewart, who prosecuted the case alongside ADA Garrett Moore, emphasized Cavazos’s dangerousness, stating, “He created a lot of innocent victims, and we’re glad we were able to get justice for the victims and their families.”
Following the sentencing, family and friends of the victims delivered impact statements in a packed courtroom, wearing buttons with the faces of all five individuals killed.
