Sunnyside Cinco de Mayo events canceled after 5 wounded in gang shooting

Five people were injured in a shooting during Sunnyside’s Cinco de Mayo celebration Friday.

Police took seven juveniles into custody initially but have released them to their parents as the investigation continues. The three-day festival, which had included a parade on Sunday, has been canceled, organizers said.

Around 4:45 p.m. a gang member fired several shots at a rival gang member in the crowd by the carnival section of the downtown event, according to a police news release.

Police said one adult and four children, the youngest 7, were hit by gunfire. The adult, a 35-year-old Vancouver, Wash., man, was taken to Harborview Medical Center for a gunshot wound to the leg, the release said, while a boy whose age was not listed was being treated at Astria Sunnyside Hospital for a gunshot wound to the face.

No information was available on their conditions, but police said none of the wounds were considered life threatening.

Police said this was not an active shooter event but a gang-related shooting.

Officers in the area chased several juveniles to a home in the 600 block of Harrison Avenue, where the officers set up a perimeter with assistance from the Washington State Patrol, Yakima County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies, the release said.

Yakima SWAT was called in, but four juveniles left the house and surrendered before the team arrived, and a fifth came out before SWAT officers entered the house, the release said. Officers also detained two others near the festival, the release said.

The seven were released to their parents while detectives gather additional evidence, the release said. Police found one gun in the house.

A&A Promotions, which organized the Cinco de Mayo event, announced Saturday morning that it was cancelling the weekend-long festival after consulting with police.

“Regrettably, there was no way we could have prevented the actions of those involved. But we can protect our community. And therefore we, and police department have decided to move forward with the cancellation,” organizers said on Facebook.

The Yakima Latino Art Rally, formerly Latin Bash 2022, also was canceled Saturday, an organizer said. The event was moved to Runway Ranch in Wapato, and then canceled after law enforcement officials talked with organizers.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Sunnyside police at 509-575-6200 or Yakima County Crime Stoppers at 800-248-9980. Tips can also be submitted online at http://www.crimestoppersyakco.org.