Driver faces charges

A Gresham man is behind bars facing charges of drunken driving and criminally negligent homicide after running over and killing a 2-year-old boy this weekend.

The toddler was playing at the East Park Apartments, where he lived in the 18800 block of Southeast Yamhill Street at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, when the boy saw his uncle across the street, said Gresham police spokesman Officer Grant McCormick.

Witnesses said the boy darted into the road and was hit by a westbound rental moving van driven by Bonifacio Vasquez-Cruz, 38, of Gresham.

The child, Aavelino Junio Briseno, died of his injuries on the way to the hospital. He would have turned 3 in October.

The driver was traveling about 15 mph and immediately stopped. However, he failed field-sobriety tests for balance and coordination, causing officers to take him to a hospital for blood draws that will determine his blood-alcohol content.

Vasquez-Cruz is being held on $22,500 bail at the Justice Center Jail.