Saul Gomez-Hernandez, a 28-year-old man of Hispanic descent, was a charismatic and compassionate individual, known for his love of music and family. Born on October 30, 1997, in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, he resided in Vancouver, Washington, with his fiancée, Reina. He was known to carry his guitar with him, always ready to play a song, and was a familiar sight performing in Vancouver, often wearing his black cowboy hat or a brown beanie with long ears. His family remembers his excitement over his Harley Davidson 1200 and his fondness for tacos de asada from his favorite Mexican restaurant. A beloved son, brother, and soon-to-be father, his life was cut tragically short on August 30, 2026.
On that Sunday evening, just after 5:30 p.m., events unfolded at a residence on Northeast 77th Avenue near 60th Way in Vancouver that would end in tragedy. Callers to 911 reported that a man armed with a gun had entered the home, and soon after, multiple gunshots were heard. When Vancouver police officers arrived and entered the residence, they discovered the bodies of two men inside. The scene was quickly secured, and police assured the public that there were no outstanding suspects and no ongoing danger to the community.
The Clark County Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed the identities of the two deceased men. Saul Gomez-Hernandez was identified as the victim of a homicide, having died from gunshot wounds. The other man, 30-year-old Cody Wayne Hunter, was determined to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators from the Vancouver Police Department Major Crimes Unit are treating the case as a murder-suicide. As the perpetrator took his own life at the scene, there will be no arrests or subsequent legal proceedings in this case. The investigation by the Vancouver Police Department concluded that this was a contained incident with no further threat to the public. Saul is survived by his parents, four brothers, his fiancée, a niece, and his unborn son.
