In the late afternoon of August 9, 2025, the life of 33-year-old Hispanic mother of eight, Guadalupe Cordova, was tragically cut short in what Yakima Police have described as an act of domestic violence. Known to her loved ones as Lupita, she was shot and killed in a dispute on West Washington Avenue. Another individual was also injured in the shooting but sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Her family remembers her as a joyful, creative, and vibrant presence who was deeply devoted to her children and had a passion for gardening and cooking.
The suspect in the fatal shooting was identified as Guadalupe's husband, Roberto Leyva-Sanchez. Following the incident, Leyva-Sanchez fled the scene, sparking a search by law enforcement. Later that evening, at approximately 7:39 p.m., Yakima Police officers located a vehicle in which Leyva-Sanchez was a passenger. After a short pursuit, the vehicle was stopped near the intersection of East Walnut Avenue and 3rd Street.
A confrontation ensued, during which Leyva-Sanchez reportedly fired at the officers from inside the vehicle. The officers returned fire, fatally wounding the 36-year-old homicide suspect. Amid the exchange of gunfire, a Yakima Police officer sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and was later treated and released from a hospital. The driver of the vehicle, identified as Leyva-Sanchez's brother, Ismael Sanchez-Morales, was taken into custody with non-life-threatening injuries. He was subsequently charged with second-degree assault, eluding the police, harming a police dog, resisting arrest, drunk driving, and rendering criminal assistance for his role in attempting to help his brother evade arrest. In the wake of this tragedy, Guadalupe's mother has taken on the guardianship of six of her eight children, and the community has organized fundraisers to support the family.
