In the early evening of November 8, 2024, a burst of violence in the parking lot of a Safeway on West Nob Hill Boulevard in Yakima, Washington, claimed the life of 20-year-old Hispanic/Latino male, Aaron Lamas. The tragic events unfolded around 6:40 p.m. when Lamas, accompanied by 18-year-old Emmanuel Santos, arrived in the parking lot and entered a vehicle occupied by two other men.
What began as a meeting between the four individuals quickly escalated into a deadly confrontation inside
the car. A violent struggle broke out, followed by the sound of multiple gunshots. Santos was the first to exit the vehicle, exchanging gunfire with one of the occupants before he was fatally wounded and died at the scene. Lamas then exited the car and was brutally assaulted by the two men, who punched and kicked him. As Lamas attempted to escape the onslaught, he was shot. He was rushed to Multicare Yakima Memorial Hospital but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The two suspects, identified as 20-year-old Cesar Guzman and 21-year-old Hector Estrada, fled the scene but were apprehended by the Yakima Police Department shortly after the shooting. Both suspects had sustained gunshot wounds during the altercation and were treated at a hospital before being booked into the Yakima County Jail on charges of Second Degree Murder.
Initially, Guzman and Estrada claimed that Lamas and Santos had attempted to rob them after they had all agreed to meet to smoke marijuana. However, their account was contradicted by security camera footage from the Safeway, which captured the sequence of events. While a definitive motive is still under investigation by the Yakima Police Department's Gang Unit, authorities believe the deadly encounter may have stemmed from a drug deal.
