On the evening of May 28, 2025, a 44-year-old Hispanic man named Juan Pablo Acosta was found deceased in his vehicle near the small community of Schwana, Washington. An atmosphere of unease had descended earlier that night when Acosta placed a distressing phone call to a friend, confiding that he was being pursued by what he termed "gangsters". This alarming call prompted his friend to go out in search of him.
The search ended grimly on Road T.5 SW, just south of Lower Crab Creek Road, where Acosta's car was discovered riddled with bullet holes. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The subsequent investigation by the Grant County Sheriff's Office swiftly moved forward, aided by security camera footage from a local business in Schwana. This footage captured a white Chrysler 300 leaving the area around the time gunshots were reported by witnesses. This vehicle was identified as the one seen at a business when Acosta drove past, with its occupants apparently beginning their pursuit of him at that point. The investigation uncovered that Acosta did not have any known gang affiliations, and authorities believe he did not personally know the individuals who targeted him.
Within a short period, authorities made several arrests in connection with the homicide. One of the first to be taken into custody was 23-year-old Angel Luis Oliveras, who was apprehended in Ephrata the same night as the shooting while driving the suspect vehicle. Later, two 19-year-olds, Isaac Almeida-Chittim of East Wenatchee and Gilberto Sanchez Medina of Mattawa, were also arrested and booked into the Grant County Jail. While investigators believe the suspects have gang affiliations, a definitive motive for the killing of Juan Pablo Acosta remains under investigation. The three men face serious charges, including first-degree murder and drive-by shooting. Multiple firearms were seized as part of the ongoing investigation into the violent end of a life that has left a community searching for answers.
