In the early hours of a Saturday morning in Yakima, Washington, a party was drawing to a close, but the night would end in tragedy for 27-year-old Diana L. Calixtro. On May 8, 2021, as guests were leaving a residence in the 1100 block of South Fair Avenue, a man and a woman allegedly stole a television from the home. When Diana and a 27-year-old male companion, Luis Cortes-Barragan, confronted the pair about the theft, the situation escalated with devastating speed.
The male suspect pulled out a pistol and opened fire on both of them before fleeing the scene on foot with his female accomplice.
Yakima police responded to a report of shots fired at approximately 2:36 a.m. and arrived to find a grim scene. Diana Calixtro was discovered outside the house with two gunshot wounds. Emergency responders and police officers performed CPR for twenty minutes in a desperate attempt to save her life, but her injuries were too severe, and she died at the scene. Her companion, Luis Cortes-Barragan, was also shot and was rushed to Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital in critical condition, where he immediately underwent emergency surgery.
The search for the suspects did not last long. Police located a 32-year-old man from Wapato and a 23-year-old woman from Toppenish together in the vicinity of 7th Street and Arlington and took them into custody. Investigators also found security camera footage from a nearby residence that showed the suspects running through a yard. The video captured the male suspect attempting to hide an object under a car, which led officers to the discovery of a. 45 caliber pistol. The man was subsequently charged with second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and second-degree assault for pointing the gun at the resident of the house. The woman was held on suspicion of second-degree theft for her alleged involvement in stealing the television.
