2 acquitted of murder in February back in jail accused of shooting 6 in Pasco

Two suspects accused of shooting six people when they opened fire at a Pasco party last weekend are behind bars for a second time this year.

Osman Morales-Salto, 21, and Brian Panduro-Valenzuela, 22, were arrested Wednesday after a search that stretched from the Tri-Cities to Pullman and Idaho, Pasco police Capt. Bill Parramore told the Tri-City Herald.

Morales-Salto was caught inside an apartment following a standoff that involved the Whitman County Regional SWAT team and Pullman police. Police were preparing Wednesday afternoon to search the apartment for evidence of the Pasco shooting.

Panduro-Valenzuela was arrested at a construction site in Rathdrum, Idaho, said Parramore.

Pasco police had been looking for the suspects since gunfire erupted at 12:30 a.m. Sunday at a birthday party in west Pasco. Six people were wounded but are expected to survive.

Both suspects were well known to police, after being charged with murder in the death of another man outside a party in August. 2022. They were acquitted in February of killing Denali Anderson, 20.

Now, Morales-Salto and Panduro-Valenzuela are charged in Franklin County with six counts of first-degree assault. They are being held in lieu of $5 million bail.

Morales-Salto was expected to be brought to the Franklin County jail in Pasco on Wednesday. Panduro-Valenzuela remains in Idaho.

Pasco birthday party

Court documents show neither man was invited to Saturday night’s party at the house on the 5500 block of Robert Wayne Drive.

A group of mostly college students and family members were celebrating someone’s 21st birthday, court documents said.

It’s not clear from court documents what sparked the trouble, but a woman said one of the suspects grabbed her and pushed her face into a wall.

The party-goers identified Morales-Salto and Panduro-Valenzuela as the people involved with attacking her. When some of the others pushed them to leave, a fight broke out, court documents said.

Morales-Salto allegedly pulled out a gun, and people started to scatter. A 24-year-old man, referred to in court documents as “Victim AV” talked with Morales-Salto and Panduro-Valenzuela at the end of the driveway, court documents said.

“Morales-Salto told Victim AV that he was missing his shoe and needed to go back inside,” Detective Daniel Vargas wrote in the affidavit of probable cause. “Victim AV refused to let Morales-Salto back inside, but stated he would go look for it.”

The man went inside to look for the shoe while four other people waited outside with Morales-Salto and Panduro-Valenzuela.

When the man returned, Morales-Salto was wearing both shoes, and he and Panduro-Valenzuela started shooting, witnesses told police.

Six people were hit in the arms, legs or rear with gunshots. There were reports of two people being hit in the chest.

The suspects fled before Pasco police arrived. Officers found 10 9 mm and two .380 caliber shell casings. The home had multiple bullet holes and a large amount of blood throughout the first floor.

Parramore told the Herald there were no other guns found at the party.

Pimlico Drive shooting

Morales-Salto and Panduro-Valenzuela spent more than two years in the Franklin County jail awaiting trial for a shootout at a party on Pimlico Drive in 2022.

They were accused of opening fire on Denali Anderson and another man after a fight that happened earlier at another home.

Their attorneys argued during closing statements that witness statements were flawed and security videos from the neighborhood were unclear. And they contended that Morales-Salto and Panduro-Valenzuela were defending themselves from an armed robbery.

The jury agreed that the men acted in self-defense.

This story was originally published October 29, 2025 at 5:24 PM.