In the early morning hours of January 24, 2023, a sudden act of violence irrevocably shattered the lives of many in Yakima, Washington. Roy Knoeb Jr., a 65-year-old male, was inside a Circle K convenience store when a gunman entered and opened fire. The incident, which police later described as random, resulted in the tragic deaths of Knoeb and two other individuals, Nikki Godfrey, 40, and Jeffrey Howlett, 54.
Knoeb and Godfrey were inside the store, while Howlett was shot at the gas pumps outside.
Surveillance footage from the store captured the harrowing moments. The suspect, identified as 21-year-old Jarid Haddock, was seen entering the Circle K around 3:30 a.m. and immediately began shooting. A store employee who was in a back kitchen at the time heard the gunshots and promptly called 911. By the time law enforcement arrived, Knoeb and the other victims had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene.
A search for Haddock ensued, involving multiple police agencies. The manhunt concluded later that day behind a Target store, where Haddock was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Before taking his own life, Haddock had borrowed a woman's phone and called his mother, admitting to the killings and threatening suicide. The woman overheard the confession and alerted the authorities to his location. Haddock was pronounced dead about an hour after being found, bringing a grim end to the tragic event. There were no arrests as the sole suspect died by suicide.
