On a summer evening, a young man's life was tragically cut short in what should have been a routine visit to the mall. Jose Rivera De La Cruz, a 23-year-old Caucasian male, was fatally shot at the Valley Mall in Union Gap, near Yakima, Washington, on August 22, 2021. He was an unintended victim, caught in the crossfire of a dispute between rival gang members as he exited the shopping center.
The investigation into the senseless killing led authorities to identify Jonathan Edgar Navarro,
a 26-year-old known gang member from Toppenish, as the primary suspect in the shooting. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and he was subsequently taken into custody by the Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force. Navarro faces charges of murder and assault and is being held in the Yakima County jail. During their investigation, police also located and seized a black BMW 328 believed to be the vehicle used by the suspects.
A second individual, Henry N. Zuniga-Soriano, a known gang member from Zillah, was identified as an accomplice. An arrest warrant has been issued for Zuniga-Soriano on the charge of Rendering Criminal Assistance in the First Degree. Authorities have cautioned that he is considered to be armed and dangerous and have asked for the public's assistance in locating him.
The shooting, which claimed the life of an innocent bystander, left the community shaken. Law enforcement officials recovered 14 shell casings from the scene in the mall's parking lot, a stark reminder of the violence that unfolded. Jose Rivera De La Cruz was simply leaving the mall after a day of shopping when he was struck by gunfire.
