Sunnyside man sought in shooting

August 03, 2009

A 25-year-old man was shot in the back while visiting a friend in Sunnyside this past Friday.

Edgar Perez-Ruelas was apparently shot by 35-year-old J. Jesus Zapien Avina, at a home in the 1600 block of McBride Street.

Police say Perez-Ruelas was visiting a friend, who is a roommate of Avina. When Perez-Ruelas knocked on the door police say Avina fired three shots from a .45 caliber weapon, grazing Perez-Ruelas in the back.

The victim then fled to his home in the 100 block of Parkland Drive, where he was treated for his injury.

The suspect fled his residence in a maroon 1990 Mercury Cougar, Washington license plate number 694ZAN. Police consider Avina to be armed and dangerous. This incident is not believed to be gang related and police are asking the public to call 509-836-6200 with any information to the whereabouts of Avina.

http://www.dailysunnews.com/ARCHIVES/Story.aspx/16477/35-year-old-sunnyside-man-still-sought-for-fridays-shooting

Grandview teen charged as adult in shootings

GRANDVIEW - Earlier this week, a teen connected to two Grandview shootings appeared in adult superior court to face charges stemming from a June 11 incident, police say. Santiago Barrera Brito, 17, was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, assault and reckless endangerment following last week's shooting that occurred near the city swimming pool, police said.

In that incident, police say two groups of kids began to argue and gunshots were fired. Police say Brito was also involved in a May 27 shooting that took place in the 500 block of Crescent Avenue.

http://www.dailysunnews.com/ARCHIVES/Story.aspx/16213/briefly

Grandview gunbattle injures one

GRANDVIEW - Multiple shots rang out at about 7 p.m. in Grandview last night, Wednesday, as two rival gangs reportedly exchanged gunfire in the 700 block of West Fifth Street and Crescent Drive.

Juan Zepeda, 27, was injured in the incident, but police say the injuries to his leg are minor-the bullet travelled up his leg and got lodged in his thigh. After receiving medical treatment, Zepeda is currently housed in the Grandview jail.

Police say it wasn't until after the incident broke out that the gang members got into vehicles and fled. At some point, police say Zepeda allegedly pointed a firearm at an innocent bystander in the area of West Fifth Street and Avenue H. The victim obtained a license plate and vehicle information and relayed the information to the police.

Police say they later found one of the suspect vehicles at a residence in the 300 block of Elm Street. After obtaining a search warrant, police say they seized the vehicle, a handgun and approximately a half-pound of marijuana. Police arrested two females who live at the residence.

During the exchange of gunfire, three homes in the area were hit with bullets. Police are still researching the total amount of rounds fired, but believe the total will be about 25.

Police are requesting the two women be charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and that Zepeda be charged with assault in the first degree.

It's not over yet, though.

"We're still looking for several other suspects and some of the victims have not come forward yet," said Det. Mitch Fairchild.

http://www.dailysunnews.com/ARCHIVES/Story.aspx/16072/rival-gangs-exchange-gunfire-in-grandview-one-wounded

Sunnyside drive-by nets three arrests

Sunnyside police were called to the 1100 block of Tacoma Avenue at 11 p.m. this past Saturday night after receiving a report of shots fired.

Witnesses told police a tan Ford Taurus left the scene after its occupants fired several times at a residence and the surrounding area. One man was injured in the shooting.

Officers went in pursuit of the vehicle and the driver led police on a chase that exceeded 100 mph and went as far east as Prosser before spikes were laid in the road and the vehicle was disabled.

Arrested in the vehicle were 29-year-old Anthony DeLeon of Prosser, 21-year-old Richard DeLeon of Prosser and Octavia Robledo, 23, of Grandview.

Anthony DeLeon will be charged with assault in the first degree and eluding. DeLeon and Robledo will be charged with first degree assault.

The victim, 19-year-old Ingacio Cardenas, was treated at a local hospital and then transported to Harborview. He has one gunshot wound to his lower torso.

Evidence was recovered at the scene, including nine .22 caliber shell casings. This case is still under investigation. Anyone with any information is encouraged to call Detective Jim Ortiz at 509-836-6200.

http://www.dailysunnews.com/ARCHIVES/Story.aspx/15956/assault-with-firearm-leads-to-three-arrests

Toppenish- two injured in shooting

TOPPENISH -- Two juvenile males were injured in a shooting Monday night in what police are calling a gang-related incident. Both victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Toppenish police said they responded to a report of a gunshot victim at Toppenish Community Hospital about 8:45 p.m.

One of the victims told police he was driving his vehicle out of a parking lot when someone shot at him from behind, striking him in the back. A passenger in the front seat was hit by flying glass and metal from the door. The driver was treated and released by the hospital a short time after he arrived.

Police described the suspect as a slender male of average height with a shaved head, wearing black clothing. He reportedly fled in a blue El Camino-type vehicle. The weapon appears to have been a rifle.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Toppenish police at 509-865-4355.

http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2009/03/31/two-injured-in-toppenish-shooting

Toppenish- Brother and Sister arrested for homicides

YAKIMA -- A brother and sister have been charged with aggravated first-degree murder in what authorities describe as a gang-related double shooting in Toppenish earlier this month.

Isabel Sanchez, 21, of Wapato is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in Yakima County Superior Court. Her brother, 23-year-old Anthony Sanchez of Buena, made his arraignment appearance on Monday.

Anthony Sanchez remains at the Yakima County jail on $5 million bail; his sister is being held on $1 million bail.

Estevan Silva Jr., 17, and Israel Diaz, 20, were killed in the March 5 shooting. Two others with them were not hit.

Toppenish police say Isabel Sanchez was driving when she and her brother spotted the group near Buena Way and drove to intercept them as they were taking a shortcut home. Anthony Sanchez opened fire on them after the sides exchanged gang-related comments, police said.

If convicted, the siblings could face the death penalty or life in prison. Prosecutors typically are required to decide on whether to seek capital punishment within 30 days.

http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2009/03/24/brother-sister-charged-in-fatal-gang-shootings

Toppenish- Gang shooting leaves two dead

Gang shooting leaves two dead in Toppenish

Philip Ferolito
Yakima Herald-Republic

TOPPENISH, Wash. -- Yet another shooting has claimed the lives of two young victims as police scramble to put a lid on a growing gang problem in Yakima County.

Thursday night's shooting deaths of 17-year-old Estevan Silva Jr. and 20-year-old Israel Diac push to eight the number of homicides in the Yakima County so far this year. About half the deaths are gang-related.

Law enforcement agencies throughout the Valley were working together Friday to see if the shooting is connected to other recent gang shootings, including one earlier Thursday in Yakima, said Toppenish Police Capt. Curt Ruggles.

Silva and Diac were with two others near the intersection of Washington Avenue and Buena Way about 10:20 p.m. Thursday when they were gunned down by a rival gang member, police said.

A dark car with two people inside pulled up, gang affiliations were announced, and a passenger of the car opened fire, striking the two, police said.

The vehicle then fled west on nearby Track Road at a high rate of speed, police said.

Diac, who was shot in the torso, died at the scene. Silva was rushed to Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound to the head. He died about 4:15 a.m. Friday, Yakima County Coroner Maury Rice said.

Monday autopsies will be conducted for both victims, he said.

Roughly five hours before the two were shot, a 28-year-old Yakima man was struck in the leg by a bullet when rival gang members shot at his Ford Expedition outside a convenience store at 16th Avenue and Tieton Drive in Yakima.

Now, Valley police are trying find out whether there's a connection.

"We're trying to help each other out," Ruggles said Friday.

Police are reviewing surveillance tapes from cameras at nearby buildings in hopes of identifying the suspects in the Toppenish shooting, Ruggles said.

The deaths come 11 days after a gang shooting left an innocent 16-year-old hospitalized in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle

Jose Salinas was shot in the face on Feb. 22 after peering out a bedroom window after hearing shots fired outside his home at the corner of Horschel and Hoffer roads west of Wapato.

The bullet broke his jaw and traveled down his spine and lodged near his kidneys, family said. He's now breathing with help from a ventilator.

Of the 18 homicides reported in Yakima County last year, police say half the deaths were teenagers.

Gangs are becoming more organized in the Valley, authorities have said, and police have formed a multiagency task force to tackle the problem.