Note: Photos of the five people Christian Cavazos killed were put together in a photo montage for buttons worn during his sentencing. Clockwise from top left are Ramiro Reyes, 65; Rosalva Reyes, 63; Gonzalo Andrew Gonzalez, 22; Jonathan Jimenez, 20; and 19-year-old Ryan McGowan.

A documented Houston gang member was sentenced Friday to life in prison for killing five people in three separate shootings in 2019, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“So many people, so many families will never have peace because of the indiscriminate violence this man inflicted on our community,” Ogg said. “We swore an oath to see that justice is done, and in this case justice demanded that this man be sentenced to life in prison.”

Christian Ivan Cavazos, 22, was sentenced to life in prison for his role in a devastating crime spree that began on Sept. 6, 2019, and was investigated by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the FBI.

Cavazos was riding in a car with other men when they saw another group of young men in a different car and opened fire. Cavazos fired several shots into the car, wounding the driver, who pulled over in a light industrial area north of Jersey Village. Cavazos then got out of his car, walked to the stopped vehicle and fatally shot 19-year-old Ryan McGowan, who was in the backseat.

Later that month, Cavazos and other men were driving around late at night on Sept. 25, 2019.

They saw a purple Dodge Charger that they believed belonged to a rival gang member and started following it. In reality, the distinctive automobile belonged to 65-year-old Ramiro Reyes and his wife, Rosalva Reyes, 63.

The couple were leaving an area hospital where Mrs. Reyes’ elderly mother had just died.

Cavazos and his group followed the grieving couple to their home in northwest Houston. The couple were fatally shot as they were getting out of their car in front of their house.

Almost three months later, Cavazos was again the triggerman in a drive-by shooting, this time in north Harris County. Cavazos, who was a passenger, started shooting wildly at an outdoor film set where a group of people were making a music video on Dec. 27, 2019.

Videographer Gonzalo Andrew Gonzalez, 22, and Jonathan Jimenez, 20, were killed in the shooting, and seven other people were injured.

Cavazos was facing a charge of capital murder before opting to plead guilty to three counts of murder and have his punishment determined by a judge after a sentencing hearing. During the hearing, the judge heard details about all five killings and sentenced Cavazos to life in prison.

Assistant District Attorney Napoleon Stewart, a chief in the District Attorney’s Organized Crime Division, prosecuted the case with ADA Garrett Moore.

“Christian Cavazos is a dangerous man who got what he earned, he got what he deserved when he was sentenced to life,” Stewart said. “Anybody who was unfortunate enough to cross his path got hit by bullets, and many of them died. He created a lot of innocent victims, and we’re glad we were able to get justice for the victims and their families.”

After Cavazos was sentenced to life in prison, four people who knew the slain gave victim impact statements in a courtroom packed with family and friends of all five.

Although the victims were not connected before they were murdered, many of the people in court wore custom photo buttons showing all five of their faces together.

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