MATTAWA -- Three men were shot to death near Mattawa, and it appears they were targeted and it wasn't a random act, authorities said Tuesday.
Grant County deputies responded to a call of gunshots at 9:15 p.m. Monday at a house on the 21000 block of Road 24.7 SW, about two miles outside of Mattawa.
One man was found dead at the scene. A second man found "barely alive" died in an ambulance despite medics' efforts to save him. The body of the third man was found lying on the road a couple of miles away, said Grant County Undersheriff John Turley.
All three had been shot. Turley did not elaborate on how the third victim might have gotten so far from the first scene.
"At this time we are not saying this is gang-related," he said.
Officials believe the victims were targeted and this is not the work of a random killer or killers, Turley said.
Investigators have identified one of the victims as a local man but are not yet releasing his name. The identities of the other victims are not yet known, Turley said.
The Washington State Patrol crime lab is helping gather evidence.
Mattawa is about 40 miles east of Yakima, near the Columbia River. The small town's population is 98 percent Hispanic, and the area has been struggling for some time with a big influx of gangs and illegal narcotics trafficking.
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2009/12/15/three-fatally-shot-in-mattawa
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