Eighteen-year-old Hispanic male, Salvador Granillo Jr., known to friends and family as "Junior," was visiting his girlfriend in Yakima, Washington, for the Easter weekend from his home in Seattle. On the morning of April 20, 2025, at around 2 a.m., Granillo was at a house party on South Keys Road. He and his friends had decided it was time to leave, and Granillo attempted to go back inside the residence to find his girlfriend.
His entry was blocked by another partygoer, 21-year-old
Israel Barriga Vargas, who was reportedly wearing a Raiders jersey. An argument broke out between the two young men. According to witnesses, the verbal confrontation escalated when Barriga Vargas spat in Granillo's face. Granillo responded by punching him. In retaliation, Barriga Vargas pulled a handgun from his waistband and fired multiple shots, striking Granillo. Friends rushed the wounded teenager to Yakima Valley Multicare Memorial Hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased.
Following the shooting, a manhunt for the suspect began. The next day, members of the Pacific Northwest Violent Offender's Task Force, along with U.S. Marshals and local law enforcement, located Israel Barriga Vargas at a home in the 900 block of S 90th Avenue in Yakima. Authorities surrounded the house and, using a PA system, ordered him to come out. Barriga Vargas surrendered to the officers without incident and was taken into custody. He was subsequently booked into the Yakima County Jail and has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of Salvador Granillo Jr.
