Prosecution: Child in car when mother shot in Kennewick

The child of homicide victim Luisa Garcia Farias was in the car when the young mother was shot on Christmas Eve in Kennewick, according to a court document filed Wednesday afternoon.

The Benton County Prosecutor’s Office filed charges Wednesday against the child’s father, Francisco Javier Munoz Quintero, for second-degree murder with aggravating circumstances.

Documents cited aggravating circumstances of a child being present and the foreseeable destructive impact on a person other than the victim. If Munoz Quintero is found guilty, his sentence could be lengthened because a firearm was involved.

Kennewick police responded to a report of a woman lying in the street near Hood Avenue and Tweedt Street late on Christmas Eve.

Witnesses said a woman had been pushed out of a car. The woman, Garcia Farias, was taken to Trios Southridge Hospital in Kennewick, where she was pronounced dead just after midnight.

Munoz Quintero called his sister and told her he shot and killed his 21-year-old girlfriend, according to court documents. His sister called the Garcia Farias family, who contacted police and went to the hospital.

About 6 p.m. Christmas Day, the suspect turned himself in to police.

He told police that he and Garcia Farias were arguing in her car when he pulled out a 9mm firearm and pointed it at her, according to court documents.

They struggled and the gun went off, he told investigators. At the time Munoz Quintero and the 22-month-old child were in the backseat of the car, according to prosecutors.

Bail was set Monday at $500,000 for Munoz Quintero, 20, who is listed in court documents as a transient. He is scheduled to appear in court again Thursday.

Benton County Coroner John Hansens ruled the death of Garcia Farias a homicide Tuesday. She died of a gunshot wound, he said, but withheld from the public the number of shots and the location of wounds as police continue to investigate.

Garcia Farias was a native of Pasco and attended Pasco High School and New Horizons High School. She worked in security at the Richland Walmart.

Donations to help with funeral arrangements are being accepted at gofundme.com/49gcsrn3.

This story was originally published December 30, 2015 at 4:08 PM with the headline "Prosecution: Child in car when mother shot in Kennewick."