Gang warfare. Bullet-riddled home. Kennewick police catch 4 of 5 suspects in Sunday shooting

When police arrived at an Eighth Avenue home in Kennewick Sunday afternoon, they found damaged cars, a bullet-riddled home and a trail of shell casings in front of four other homes.

One of those bullets punched through the front window of a home and missed several adults and four children before shattering the sliding glass door in the rear.

Now, four of the five people police believe are involved in firing those shots are in the Benton County jail.

The most recent arrest, Nickolas Medelez, 25, was booked Wednesday night after he avoided capture earlier at a home on Vancouver Street.

Investigators said Medelez, along with Mitchell Talavera, 22, drove to Tomas Hinojosa Jr.’s home around 6 p.m. Sunday while 38-year-old Hinojosa was walking toward Monopoly Park on his way to the store. As they passed Hinojosa, Talavera displayed his gun, police said.

Hinojosa, who police said left a .45 caliber handgun with someone at his home, turned back to his home while the car carrying Medelez and Talavera made a U-turn.

Hinojosa was able to yell at the people outside his home to get back inside before the men opened fire, according to police.

The two men inside the car yelled “gang slurs,” police said.

It’s unclear who opened up fire first, but Hinojosa told police he hopped a fence and heard people screaming while bullets whizzed above his head.

Security video shows Javier Valdez, 24, fired a rifle at the passing car, and both men inside fired back, authorities said. They left a string of .45 caliber and 9 mm shell casings behind them.

As police arrived, they caught Hinojosa, who had multiple warrants for his arrest, running away. He was arrested there.

Police caught up with another man allegedly involved, Andres Torres-Rodriguez, 28, at his home in Walla Walla the next day.

Talavera was picked up at The Pub on Clearwater Avenue on Tuesday night just as police surrounded a Vancouver home where they believed Medelez was hiding. While police were not able to find Medelez after a six-hour standoff and search, they found him later.

Police are continuing to search for Valdez. A nationwide warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of second-degree assault and unlawfully possessing a firearm. His bail is set at $100,000.

Hinojosa is being held in Benton County jail on $10,000 bail on charges of unlawfully possessing a firearm. A convicted felon, he was most recently accused of helping Katelynn Vinson as she tried to escape from police.

Medelez’s bail is set at $100,000 on charges of drive-by shooting, first-degree assault and unlawfully possessing a firearm.

Charges have not been filed against Talavera or Torres-Rodriguez.

This story was originally published September 26, 2019 at 3:19 PM.