2 arrested in gang-related Kennewick shootout that left a man dead at a Kennewick ER
Two suspects were arrested and jailed overnight in connection with a gang-related shootout in Kennewick that left one man dead.
Police believe Ramon Candido, 26, traded gunfire with people in another car at the intersection of Dayton and First Avenue a block from Kennewick High School on the afternoon of April 20, said Lt. Jason Kiel.
One of those bullets allegedly hit Ezekiel Sanchez, 25, in the head inside one of the cars.
He was not breathing when he was dropped off about 5 p.m. at a freestanding Kadlec Emergency Room on 19th Avenue in Kennewick, and he was pronounced dead, Kennewick police said.
It’s not clear if Sanchez or someone else was firing back but Kiel said Candido and Sanchez belonged to rival gangs.
Sanchez had been released in March 2021 after spending seven months in jail in connection with another gang-related murder in 2019.
He was then seen on video as one of three men who followed behind two teens eventually charged with the gang-related killing of Andrea Nuñez, 20, who was pregnant and walking with her boyfriend.
In last week’s shooting, investigators said one of Candido’s fellow gang members, Beatriz Terrazas, 23, knew the shooting and helped him.
Candido is being held on suspicion of second-degree murder, and Terrazas is under investigation for first-degree rendering criminal assistance.
Detectives linked the shooting to Candido and tracked him to a home on the 300 block of South Kellogg Street, said a police news release.
“They did some really good police work,” Kiel said Tuesday. “They located the evidence and then just used intelligence and street knowledge and ended up identifying the vehicle.”
Police were watching the area Monday when they saw Candido driving and followed him to the 7800 block of West Sixth Avenue where he met Terrazas.
The two were arrested about 5 p.m. and booked into Benton County jail, Kennewick police said.
The vehicle Candido was driving was sized as evidence, and the home on the 300 block of Kellogg Street was searched.
Candido has a lengthy criminal history that starts in 2007.
Most of his convictions involved destroying property and graffiti. He also has a convicted for third-degree child rape and is a registered sex offender.
Police continue to ask anyone with information on the case to call 509-628-0333 and refer to case 22-28835.
This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 10:31 AM.