CALDWELL, Idaho — A man who shot at rival gang members in a Nampa Buffalo Wild Wings parking lot on North Cassia Street in 2022 was sentenced on Friday to serve twelve years in prison, reports the Canyon County Prosecutor's Office.
A member of the Brown Pride Surenos gang, Lazaro Vela was previously convicted of Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon Enhancement in connection with the Buffalo Wild Wings shooting that happened on Sep. 1, 2022. During the incident, Vela shot three times at a rival, Norteno gang member.
A Norteno gang member, Brian Moreno, proceeded to return fire, killing Joe Flores, an innocent bystander. In February 2026, Moreno was convicted of first-degree murder.
In 2023, Vela was involved in a separate gang-related shooting at the Grove Plaza parking lot in downtown Boise. There, he fired several rounds at Norteno gang members, during which a 16-year-old female was shot in the arm. According to the Canyon County Prosecutor's Office, the victim suffered a "gunshot wound and non-displaced fracture" in the shooting.
For his role in that shooting, Vela was convicted by an Ada County Jury of aggravated battery and sentenced to 20 years in prison with 10 years fixed.
“This man has actually shot people in two separate gang shootings in public places in our community," said Chris Boyd, Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney. "He presents an unacceptable risk to take with our citizens’ lives, and incarceration is the only way to protect them.”
For his role in the Buffalo Wild Wings shooting, Judge Gabriel McCarthy sentenced Vela to seven years fixed, followed by five years indeterminate. The two separate sentences will be served consecutively.
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