Crime

Man dies in shooting at Tri-Cities apartment complex. 2nd killing there in 6 months

Richland police investigate a shooting at Columbia Park Apartments in May 2019.
Richland police investigate a shooting at Columbia Park Apartments in May 2019. Tri-City Herald file

A 20-year-old man died after being shot Friday night in the area of the Columbia Park Apartments in the 1700 block of Jadwin Avenue, police reported.

Multiple calls were made to 911 shortly after 9 p.m. reporting shots fired and one person hit.

He was taken to a Kadlec Regional Medical Center, where he died.

The victim was specifically targeted and this was not a random shooting, Richland police said on social media.

A suspect in the shooting was seen running toward the south, according to witness reports relayed to dispatch. Police were looking for a white Chevrolet Caprice shortly after the shooting was reported.

They continue to investigate and had released no further information Saturday.

Anyone with information is asked to call 509-628-0333.

New Year’s Shooting

The shooting was on the same day that Richland police announced that two suspects had been charged in a gang-related murder at the same apartment complex on New Year’s Eve.

Felipe Manjares, 19, of Sunnyside, and Rafael Torres-Topete, 17, of Kennewick, are accused of killing Michael Castoreno outside the Columbia Park Apartments, Richland police said Friday morning.

Castoreno was shot several times and died at the scene.

Detectives tracked Manjares to Kingfisher, Okla., where he was arrested on May 5 with the help of a U.S. Marshals fugitive task force and Oklahoma law enforcement agencies.

His alleged accomplice, Torres-Topete, is already in juvenile detention in connection with a robbery committed days before the shooting. He is charged as an adult with premeditated first-degree murder, along with the aggravating factor of using a gun.

He is awaiting extradition back to Washington state.

This story was originally published May 20, 2023 at 9:44 AM.

AC
Annette Cary
Tri-City Herald
Senior staff writer Annette Cary covers Hanford, energy, the environment, science and health for the Tri-City Herald. She’s been a news reporter for more than 30 years in the Pacific Northwest. Support my work with a digital subscription
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