Man driving car in which 5-year-old was shot is gang member on parole, documents say

The man who was driving a car in which a 5-year-old was shot and killed in a drive-by last month is a member of the East Side Crips and was on parole at the time of the shooting, according to recently filed court documents. Police arrested Dayvon Vercher, 31, on a parole violation following the Feb. 23 shooting that killed Kason Guyton in central Bakersfield. Five days later, prosecutors charged him with possession of a firearm by a felon and three other felonies.

The charges are unrelated to Kason's death. 

Vercher is the boyfriend of Kason's mother. The child's 7-year-old brother, Brian Guyton, was wounded in the shooting in the 600 block of California Avenue but survived. The shooter and others in the suspect vehicle remain at large.

No suspect information has been released other than they were traveling in a dark-colored sedan. The front passenger of the sedan leaned out the window and fired at Vercher's car as it turned west onto California Avenue from S Street. Police haven't gone as far as saying the shooting is gang-related, but Sgt. Ryan Kroeker said it bears certain similarities to gang-related shootings.

The charges against Vercher stem from a search of his apartment in the 1400 block of S Street, where police found a loaded gun, police said in court documents. A convicted felon, Vercher is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

Vercher inadvertently tipped police off to the weapon in a recorded phone call he made from jail the morning of Feb. 24, the documents said. In it, he asked a person to "snatch some heat" from the apartment. After listening to the call, police went to the apartment. They found the 9mm Glock pistol in the master bedroom. A records check revealed the gun was reported stolen in 2010, according to the documents.

Vercher goes by the alias "Dae Dae" in the East Side Crips, the documents said. He lives, however, in an area claimed as West Side Crips territory. The West Side Crips are rivals of the East Side Crips, and the documents said it's likely Vercher owned the gun for protection since he lives in rival gang territory.

In 2002, Vercher pleaded no contest to assault with a firearm on a person and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Five other charges, including attempted murder, were dismissed. Vercher is next due in court March 27. He's being held on $100,000 bail.

USA - BF.