Kennewick police search for suspect in fatal shooting

Kennewick police were hunting Monday evening for an assailant who shot and killed a Kennewick man.

The suspect opened fire with a handgun about 1:10 p.m. in the normally quiet residential neighborhood on the 1500 block of West Seventh Place off South Olympia Street.

Police did not release how many shots were fired, but at least one hit a man in his 40s, who was in the driveway of a home.

The suspect took off in a white or cream-colored car, though police were initially not sure if he was a passenger or the driver, said Sgt. Randy Maynard.

The suspect is described as a man in his 20s with a thin build.

When Kennewick officers got to the house they tried to help the wounded man before medics arrived. He died at short time later at Trios Southridge Hospital.

The hospital went into a lockdown for 40 minutes as a precaution after the victim was brought there.

Benton County Chief Deputy Coroner Roy McLean said they are trying to contact the victim’s relatives. An autopsy is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday.

Washington State Patrol crime scene investigators were called to help with the investigation. They were expected to arrive between 5 and 6 p.m. to begin processing the scene.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Kennewick police at 509-585-4208 or dispatch at 509-628-0333.

This story was originally published September 11, 2017 at 1:47 PM with the headline "Kennewick police search for suspect in fatal shooting."