In the fall of 2022, the life of 17-year-old Elias Salazar, a male from Kennewick, Washington, was cut tragically short. On the evening of Saturday, October 15th, police were called to a mobile home park on the 800 block of North Volland Street. There, they found Salazar unresponsive with a gunshot wound to his head. He was rushed to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland before being airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for more advanced care.
Despite the efforts of medical teams, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced brain dead a few days later, on October 18, 2022.
The investigation into the shooting revealed a gathering of friends that had taken a grim turn. Detectives learned that the incident occurred during a party. A video from a neighbor’s security camera captured the sound of a single gunshot, followed by five young men fleeing the scene. The investigation pointed to a 14-year-old boy, Talen Trumble, as the one who fired the weapon. According to Trumble’s own account to the police, the group had been drinking that night. He was holding a gun that belonged to Salazar, and while laughing with his finger on the trigger, the firearm discharged accidentally, striking Salazar.
In the wake of the incident, Talen Trumble was arrested by the Kennewick Police Department. Initially held on an assault charge at the Benton Franklin Juvenile Detention Center, the charge was upgraded following Salazar's death. The 14-year-old was subsequently charged with second-degree manslaughter. The case proceeded through the juvenile court system, as prosecutors did not seek to have him tried as an adult. The investigation remained active as authorities encouraged anyone with more information about the tragic night to come forward.
