Police ID fatally-wounded man left at Tri-Cities ER. It’s now considered a homicide
The shooting of a 25-year-old Kennewick man is now being investigated as a homicide.
Ezekiel Sanchez was dropped off shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday at a Kadlec Regional Medical Center freestanding emergency room on 19th Avenue after being shot in the head, according to Kennewick police and dispatch reports.
The initial dispatch reports said Sanchez was not breathing when he was brought in. He was declared dead soon after.
His family was notified and an autopsy was scheduled for Thursday afternoon, Coroner Bill Leach said.
The driver of the SUV that left him at the ER climbed into another car that drove to Fifth Avenue in East Kennewick.
Kennewick Police Chief Chris Guerrero spotted the car and stopped it in front of a Fifth Avenue home near Washington Street, said a news release.
The man jumped out and ran toward a nearby home.
And police found a woman driving the car, along with a 5-year-old and a gun still inside, according to release.
Several people inside the home were detained by police as they searched the property. But no one had been arrested in connection with the shooting by Thursday afternoon, according to police.
At first, police called the incident a death investigation because it wasn’t clear if Sanchez shot himself or if someone else did.
On Thursday, Lt. Jason Kiel said the case is now being called a homicide investigation.
Investigators worked until midnight looking for where Sanchez was shot, said Kiel.
Detectives say it at South Dayton Street and West 1st Ave in Kennewick.
Police are asking for anyone with tips, pictures, video or other information on the incident to call the non-emergency dispatch number 509-628-0333 and refer to case 22-28835.
This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 12:38 PM.