In the early morning hours of January 24, 2023, a senseless act of violence tragically cut short the life of Nikki Godfrey, a 40-year-old Caucasian female from Yakima, Washington. She was inside a Circle K convenience store at approximately 3:30 a.m. with a friend, Roy Knoeb Jr., when a gunman entered and opened fire without any apparent motive. Both Godfrey and Knoeb were shot multiple times and died at the scene.
Friends described Godfrey as having a "great, bubbly personality" and someone who was always willing to help others, even giving the shirt off her back. She and Knoeb lived near the convenience store and had gone there to get food.
The perpetrator was identified as 21-year-old Jarid Haddock. After killing Godfrey and Knoeb, Haddock exited the store and fatally shot a third victim, Jeffrey Howlett, who was in his vehicle at the gas pumps. Surveillance footage showed Haddock had briefly entered the store minutes before the shooting and then returned with a handgun, immediately beginning to fire. Law enforcement described the attack as a random shooting.
A manhunt for Haddock ensued, involving multiple police agencies. The search concluded later the same day when he was located behind a Target store. Before he could be apprehended, Haddock took his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Prior to his death, he borrowed a woman's phone and called his mother, confessing that he had "killed those people" and intended to kill himself. The woman who lent him the phone overheard his confession and promptly alerted the authorities, leading them to his location. Due to the suspect's death, no arrests were made in connection with the deaths of Nikki Godfrey and the other victims.
