2 more teens jailed in Kennewick murder case that began with BBs and ended with bullets
A 17-year-old gunman is accused of killing a man in Kennewick for throwing a rock, say Kennewick police.
Patrick S. Romero, 21, was shot defending his grandmother’s apartment from a car full of teens firing a BB gun, said court documents.
Stuart Walker, 17, Pasco, and a 14-year-old are now in custody in connection with Saturday’s deadly shooting on Bruneau Place, near Highway 395.
Earlier this week, Raheem Mayberry, 19, was arrested and formally charged with rendering criminal assistance.
Walker will be heading to adult court Friday to face first-degree murder charges, and the 14-year-old is under investigation for rendering criminal assistance.
Here’s what investigators believe happened:
About 5:30 p.m. Saturday, five teens got into a silver car on a mission to “go shoot some tweakers,” according to court records.
As they pulled into the Bruneau Place neighborhood, the 14-year-old handed a BB gun to Walker while they drove into the neighborhood on West Bruneau Place and the 17-year-old fired it at an Romero’s grandmother’s apartment, according to court documents.
The 16-year-old girl along with Romero and two 14-year-olds chased the silver car down the street.
Romero threw rocks at the car, and they thought that was the end of it and started back toward the apartment. Walker returned fire with the BB gun, according to police reports.
But the five in the car weren’t finished, according to Kennewick investigators.
They stopped in an alley between the Econo Lodge and an empty car dealership and got out and chased Romero and the others.
The 16-year-old girl and one of the 14-year-olds made it back into the apartment, but four people from the car caught up with Romero and the other 14-year-old.
Walker then fired a .40-caliber handgun twice, hitting Romero once in the upper chest but missing the younger teen. The suspects fled in the car with Mayberry driving, leaving Romero to die in the parking lot, said court documents.
Court documents claim Walker shot Romero was also the one shooting the BB gun from the car.
Mayberry is being held in the Benton County jail on $100,000 bail. Walker is being held on $500,000
Pasco arrest
Detectives used surveillance video to find the car and identify the five people inside.
Kennewick and Pasco police caught up with Mayberry hours after the shooting as he was leaving his Pasco home in a friend’s car.
When police interviewed him, he allegedly said he drove the car to and from the scene.
Detectives say the car used during the shooting was at Mayberry’s house. They found BB gun pellets and a .40-caliber round inside and two empty .40-caliber magazines in a dresser in his room.
Officers talked with Walker’s family Monday night trying to find him. While family members didn’t know where he was, the called a few hours later to report that he returned home.
They brought him down to the police station where he was arrested.
The third teen was brought down to police station on Thursday by his mother.
He told police he went
The investigation remains on-going and police are asking anyone with information to call 509-628-0333.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published February 27, 2020 at 12:52 PM.