In the early hours of July 17, 2023, a violent encounter in Yakima, Washington, claimed the life of 32-year-old Hispanic male, Sergio Salinas-Gonzales. The incident unfolded around 2:00 a.m. at the intersection of East Nob Hill Boulevard and 18th Street, shattering the nighttime quiet with the sound of gunfire. Salinas-Gonzales was a passenger in a vehicle when another car pulled alongside, and shots were fired. He was struck in the neck.
In the immediate aftermath, he was rushed to Multicare Yakima Memorial Hospital in a private vehicle, but the severity of his injury proved fatal, and he succumbed to the gunshot wound at the hospital.
The events leading up to the fatal shooting reportedly began after Salinas-Gonzales and the occupants of the other vehicle left a local restaurant. According to court documents, the suspect's vehicle attempted to race the car in which Salinas-Gonzales was a passenger. This escalation on the road culminated in the deadly drive-by shooting at the intersection. The Yakima Police Department swiftly launched an investigation into the homicide. Utilizing the city's FLOCK camera system, investigators were able to identify the suspect vehicle, which was located at a home in Yakima later that same day.
Through their investigation, police identified 30-year-old Juan Rosales-Montes De Oca as the primary suspect in the shooting death of Sergio Salinas-Gonzales. Authorities announced that they were seeking Rosales-Montes De Oca on multiple charges, including aggravated first-degree murder, first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, drive-by shooting, and two counts of first-degree assault. The police cautioned that Rosales-Montes De Oca should be considered armed and dangerous. While the suspect's vehicle was recovered, Rosales-Montes De Oca himself was not immediately apprehended. As of the days following the incident, no arrests had been made in connection with the case, and a manhunt for the suspect was underway.
