YAKIMA--The fatal shooting in the parking lot of Wray's Thriftway was just one of four violent crimes in the Yakima Valley Saturday night.
A 28-year-old Wapato man is on life support after being shot in the head, and two teenage girls were also shooting victims. One of them is six months pregnant.
The gunfire all across the valley has police departments stretched thin and residents worried.
One night. Four crime scenes and so far, no arrests.
Gunfire was heard from Toppenish to Wapato to Yakima.
Police had their hands full nearly all night.
"Our resources get spread pretty thin, Sgt. Tim Bardwell, Yakima Police Department, said. "We rely on other units, the detective unit, our proactive unit, our gang unit to supplement and fill in."
At about 9:00 p.m. Saturday, Wapato police were called to the 4500 block of North Track Road regarding a drive by shooting.
A release from the Yakima County Sheriff's Office said 28-year-old Manuel Angel Garcia of Wapato was inside a house on the block when a bullet came through the front of the building and hit him in the head.
Garcia was taken to a local hospital, where he is in stable but critical condition as of 6:20 p.m. Sunday. Due to the severity of his injuries, the Wapato Police Department turned the case over to the Sheriff's Office.
Deputies say Garcia did not live at the targeted house.
After a night like this, valley police departments must rely on each other.
"We're going to look at those [different shootings] and say, 'Are those similar in description to what occurred in our jurisdiction?'" Bardwell said.
So far, police haven't found any clear connections.
Neighbors told KNDO they're fed up with the violence.
"Nothing really gets done on the street," Kris Clemmons of Yakima said. "[Police] put a lot more cruisers around and they patrol more, but.."
Clemmons lives a block away from the other shooting Yakima police dealt with overnight.
Two Yakima teenagers were injured early Sunday morning while at a home on the 900 block of South 4th Avenue. The girls, ages 18 and 15, told police they were inside a house when they heard gunshots and were struck. The 18-year-old was hit once in the leg, and the 15-year-old was shot once in the buttocks. Officers say the 15-year-old girl is six months pregnant.
Police did not indicate any suspects, but do believe the shooting is gang-related.
Others KNDO spoke with believe stopping this violence starts with the community offering help.
"Wherever you go there's going to be some shootings. As a citizen, you got to help the community, that's what you got to do."
The final shooting--but first chronologically--happened in Toppenish. An adult male was shot in the torso in a drive by shooting one on East Toppenish Avenue.
The victim told police he was sitting in his car at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday when another car pulled up and a man inside fired several rounds at him.
Toppenish police say the suspect is a Hispanic male wearing dark clothes and believe he is anywhere from 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall. The victim's injuries are not expected to be life-threatening.
Two Yakima teenagers were injured early Sunday morning while at a home on the 900 block of South 4th Avenue. The girls, ages 18 and 15, told police they were inside a house when they heard gunshots and were struck. The 18-year-old was hit once in the leg, and the 15-year-old was shot once in the buttocks. Police say the 15-year-old girl was pregnant. Police did not indicate any suspects, but do believe the shooting is gang-related.
As of 6:20 p.m. Sunday, no arrests had been reported in any of these cases. It is not clear if any of the shootings are connected.
If you have any information, please call Yakima Police at 509-575-6200, Toppenish Police at 509-865-4355, or the Yakima County Sheriff's Office at 509-574-2500.
http://www.kndo.com/Global/story.asp?S=12059026
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Shooting(s) in Grandview
Grandview police investigating shooting
GRANDVIEW - Grandview police are investigating whether or not a drive-by shooting in the area of Stassen Park and West Fifth Street yesterday morning (Sunday) resulted in injury.
Police raced to the scene at 3 a.m. after witnesses reported hearing shots fired and ultimately found the correct location, which was a home in the 400 block of Avenue E.
While investigating the scene, police fielded a call that a gunshot victim was seeking treatment and claimed to be shot in Grandview.
Grandview Assistant Police Chief Mark Ware said the vehicle used to transport the victim to the hospital matched the description of a vehicle leaving the scene of the shooting.
Police have impounded the car and will obtain a search warrant today to see if the two incidents are related.
http://www.dailysunnews.com/DSNNews2.shtml
GRANDVIEW - Grandview police are investigating whether or not a drive-by shooting in the area of Stassen Park and West Fifth Street yesterday morning (Sunday) resulted in injury.
Police raced to the scene at 3 a.m. after witnesses reported hearing shots fired and ultimately found the correct location, which was a home in the 400 block of Avenue E.
While investigating the scene, police fielded a call that a gunshot victim was seeking treatment and claimed to be shot in Grandview.
Grandview Assistant Police Chief Mark Ware said the vehicle used to transport the victim to the hospital matched the description of a vehicle leaving the scene of the shooting.
Police have impounded the car and will obtain a search warrant today to see if the two incidents are related.
http://www.dailysunnews.com/DSNNews2.shtml
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Witness descriptions lead to quick arrests in Sunday shooting
YAKIMA, Wash. — Within a half hour of a shooting this evening, authorities arrested the man they think pulled the trigger thanks to good descriptions from several witnesses in a Northeast Yakima neighborhood.
The victim, a 22-year-old male, was shot in the abdomen and leg, said Yakima police Lt. Nolan Wentz. The man was dropped off at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital shortly after a shooting was reported about 5:15 p.m. near North Sixth and H streets.
Officers quickly locked down a house on North Sixth Street after the shooting and arrested two people inside, Wentz said. Off-duty detectives were being called in to conduct interviews.
In months past, residents in this gang-ridden neighborhood have expressed hesitation to call authorities when they hear gunshots out of fear of retaliation. That seems to be changing.
“It’s people starting to get sick of it,” Wentz said. “We’ve got several good witness calls.”
More information on the victim’s condition or the suspect was not immediately available.
— Melissa Sánchez
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2010/02/21/witness-descriptions-lead-to-arrest-in-sunday-shooting
The victim, a 22-year-old male, was shot in the abdomen and leg, said Yakima police Lt. Nolan Wentz. The man was dropped off at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital shortly after a shooting was reported about 5:15 p.m. near North Sixth and H streets.
Officers quickly locked down a house on North Sixth Street after the shooting and arrested two people inside, Wentz said. Off-duty detectives were being called in to conduct interviews.
In months past, residents in this gang-ridden neighborhood have expressed hesitation to call authorities when they hear gunshots out of fear of retaliation. That seems to be changing.
“It’s people starting to get sick of it,” Wentz said. “We’ve got several good witness calls.”
More information on the victim’s condition or the suspect was not immediately available.
— Melissa Sánchez
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2010/02/21/witness-descriptions-lead-to-arrest-in-sunday-shooting
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Sunnyside- shooting on Cascade Way
A shooting was reported near the 1700 Block of Cascade Way on Wednesday, February 18th. No casualties or arrests are known.
Yakima man charged in stabbing death
YAKIMA, Wash. - Authorities today formally charged the 42-year-old man accused in Monday’s fatal stabbing.
Richard Solis, of Yakima, was charged with second-degree murder in Yakima County Superior Court.
He is accused of stabbing 21-year-old Ali Lemus Vargas [an alleged Norteno gang member] multiple times in the head, chest and hands early Monday, authorities said. Lemus Vargas was found about 2:30 a.m. Monday near Pleasant Avenue and West Pierce Street.
Yakima police officers followed a trail of blood that led to a residence in the 1500 block of Seventh Avenue, where they found Solis.
Authorities said an interview with the suspect revealed that an argument between the two led to the stabbing.
Solis is being held on a $500,000 bail in Yakima County Jail. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 2.
- Melissa Sanchez
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2010/02/18/yakima-man-charged-in-stabbing-death
Richard Solis, of Yakima, was charged with second-degree murder in Yakima County Superior Court.
He is accused of stabbing 21-year-old Ali Lemus Vargas [an alleged Norteno gang member] multiple times in the head, chest and hands early Monday, authorities said. Lemus Vargas was found about 2:30 a.m. Monday near Pleasant Avenue and West Pierce Street.
Yakima police officers followed a trail of blood that led to a residence in the 1500 block of Seventh Avenue, where they found Solis.
Authorities said an interview with the suspect revealed that an argument between the two led to the stabbing.
Solis is being held on a $500,000 bail in Yakima County Jail. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 2.
- Melissa Sanchez
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2010/02/18/yakima-man-charged-in-stabbing-death
Yakima- stupid gangbanger shoots himself
YAKIMA -- Police say they have debunked a man's claim that he was shot by someone in a passing car.
The 29-year-old Yakima man reported early Friday that he suffered a gunshot wound to the upper inside right thigh, according to a news release from the Yakima Police Department.
The man said he was walking about 2:40 a.m. toward the 7-Eleven store at 16th and Summitview avenues when someone in a passing vehicle shot him.
Based on evidence at the scene, police said, investigators questioned the man's account of the incident.
The man's pants did not have a bullet hole, but his boxers did, according to the news release. That led police to determine that the man was wounded when the gun discharged while in his waistband.
No charges are being sought against the man, who claimed to be affiliated with a gang, authorities said.
In April 2008, a 20-year-old man claimed that he had been shot in the groin during a drive-by shooting. Police determined that he shot himself with two loads of buckshot after placing the barrel down his pants.
That man was seriously wounded.
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2010/02/17/02-18-10-tieton-mayor
The 29-year-old Yakima man reported early Friday that he suffered a gunshot wound to the upper inside right thigh, according to a news release from the Yakima Police Department.
The man said he was walking about 2:40 a.m. toward the 7-Eleven store at 16th and Summitview avenues when someone in a passing vehicle shot him.
Based on evidence at the scene, police said, investigators questioned the man's account of the incident.
The man's pants did not have a bullet hole, but his boxers did, according to the news release. That led police to determine that the man was wounded when the gun discharged while in his waistband.
No charges are being sought against the man, who claimed to be affiliated with a gang, authorities said.
In April 2008, a 20-year-old man claimed that he had been shot in the groin during a drive-by shooting. Police determined that he shot himself with two loads of buckshot after placing the barrel down his pants.
That man was seriously wounded.
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2010/02/17/02-18-10-tieton-mayor
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Sunnyside- 22 year old shot
Jose Acevedo, 22, of Sunnyside suffered non-life threatening injuries as a result of a bullet hitting his leg in a shooting incident that occurred at approximately 6:40 a.m. this morning (Wednesday) in the 1000 block of South 10th Street, according to Sunnyside police.
Police responded to the call and are still investigating the incident, but were told a van with tinted windows was involved.
Officials said preliminary information provided to them indicates the victim was walking down the street when several shots aimed in his direction were fired from the van.
Acevedo was treated and released from Sunnyside Community Hospital this morning.
Witness statements, as well as a victim's statement, were still being taken as of press time.
Sunnyside Police Department officials said further details will be forthcoming, but anyone with information that might lead to a suspect, suspect vehicle or other information regarding the incident is asked to call 836-6200.
In other news, an apartment manager told the Daily Sun News last Saturday morning's shooting incident resulted in bullets striking two apartment units at the Meadow Apartments in the 1400 block of South Sixth Street just after 1:30 a.m.
The apartment manager said one bullet traveled through a window and two walls before stopping in a second apartment.
Two bullets, he shared, struck the complex, and one of the apartments struck was occupied by a mother and her young child.
The apartment manager plans to speak with police regarding the incident, and he said the problem is ongoing, involving suspects with whom the police have had prior contact.
The Sunnyside Police Department is still investigating the Saturday incident and officials said concerns regarding the incident will be addressed at the conclusion of the investigation.
http://www.dailysunnews.com/DSNNews6.shtml
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
