In the early morning hours of January 24, 2023, the life of 54-year-old Jeffrey Howlett of Selah, Washington, was tragically cut short in what police have described as a random act of violence. Howlett, a man remembered by a friend as the "nicest person on the planet," was at a Circle K convenience store on North 18th Street and Nob Hill Boulevard in Yakima.
He was sitting in his Chevrolet Tahoe at the gas pumps when a gunman, later identified as 21-year-old Jarid Haddock, approached and shot him multiple times. First responders attempted to render aid, but Howlett was pronounced dead at the scene.
The violent outburst that claimed Howlett's life also resulted in the deaths of two other individuals who were inside the convenience store at the time. Surveillance footage from the Circle K showed Haddock entering the store shortly before 3:30 a.m. and immediately opening fire. After shooting the two victims inside, he walked out into the parking lot and fired upon Howlett. The motive for the shooting remains unclear, as the attacker did not appear to rob or attempt to take anything from his victims.
Following the shooting, a daylong manhunt for Jarid Haddock ensued, involving multiple law enforcement agencies. The search came to an end behind a Target store in Yakima later that afternoon. Before taking his own life, Haddock borrowed a woman's phone and called his mother, confessing to the killings. The woman who lent him the phone overheard his confession and promptly alerted the authorities to his location. When police arrived, they found Haddock with a self-inflicted gunshot wound; he was pronounced dead about an hour later. The community was left to mourn the senseless loss of three lives, including Jeffrey Howlett, an avid outdoorsman who loved fishing, skiing, and hiking.
