A Sunday afternoon drive turned fatal on November 5, 2023, ending the life of 18-year-old Dominick Demetry Hernandez, a Hispanic/Latino male from Moses Lake, Washington. Hernandez was driving his red 2017 Ford Focus on State Route 17 with a passenger when a black Dodge Charger pulled alongside them. Suddenly, shots were fired from the Charger into Hernandez’s car.
The gunfire caused Hernandez to lose control of the Ford Focus, which veered off the highway, crashed, and landed on its
roof. Both occupants of the car were gravely injured in the attack and the subsequent crash. First responders arrived to find that one of the young men had a gunshot wound, while the other had suffered severe traumatic injuries. Emergency helicopters airlifted both victims to regional hospitals for care.
Hernandez was flown to Kadlec Medical Center in Kennewick, but his injuries proved too severe. He passed away the following day, on November 6, 2023. His passenger, 20-year-old Justin I. Walton, was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane.
Shortly after the shooting, Grant County Sheriff’s deputies tracked down the suspect’s Dodge Charger and took the driver into custody. Authorities identified him as 22-year-old Sergio M. Higuera, also of Moses Lake. Investigators began looking into the backgrounds of those involved, including potential gang affiliations that Higuera had referenced.
Higuera was initially charged with two counts of first-degree assault and one count of a drive-by shooting. After Hernandez died, one of the assault charges was upgraded to murder. As of November 2023, Higuera’s bail had been set at $500,000 as the case proceeded through the court system.
