On the night of October 15, 2022, 18-year-old Jatzivy Sarabia was riding as a passenger in a Jeep with friends in Kennewick, Washington, on their way to a party. The mood was tragically cut short when their vehicle was ambushed near Highway 397 and Third Avenue. In a terrifying ordeal, occupants of two other cars, a dark-colored Honda and a silver Kia, pulled alongside the Jeep and unleashed a barrage of gunfire. Sarabia, who was sitting in the back seat, was struck twice and fatally wounded.
The driver of the Jeep managed to escape the chaotic scene and drive to her father's home, but it was too late for Sarabia.
The investigation into the shooting revealed a chilling motive that began a day earlier in Spokane. An argument had erupted between the owner of the Jeep and a man named Isaiah Combs, who reportedly felt he had been disrespected by a slang term she used. This seemingly minor disagreement escalated into a meticulously planned ambush. Investigators discovered more than 75 shell casings at the scene of the shooting, indicating the intense and violent nature of the attack. Following the shooting, the assailants allegedly returned to a local sports bar, where one of the youngest suspects reportedly bragged about the killing.
In the weeks and months that followed, law enforcement made a series of arrests in connection with the homicide. The first suspect taken into custody was Isaiah Combs, then 20 years old. He was charged with aggravated first-degree murder. Another key suspect, Layshawne Bethea-Dickerson, who was only 13 at the time of the incident, was also arrested and charged with murder; the court later decided he would be tried as an adult. Over time, more alleged participants were apprehended, including Torrey Daniels, who was identified as a third shooter.
By September 2024, two more 18-year-olds, Marcell Cola and Darrious Thomason, were arrested in Spokane and charged with aggravated first-degree murder for their alleged roles as shooters inside one of the vehicles. In total, at least five individuals are facing murder charges for their direct involvement in the shooting that ended Jatzivy Sarabia's life, with several others arrested for related offenses such as rendering criminal assistance. The complex investigation pieced together the events that led to the senseless death of a young woman who was simply on her way to a party with friends.
