In the late morning of September 26, 2020, Joshua R. Gibson, a 39-year-old White/Caucasian male, drove his silver vehicle to the Riverfront Hotel in Richland, Washington. After parking, he made his way to one of the hotel rooms to visit with a man inside. This seemingly ordinary visit would soon take a tragic and fatal turn, ending in his untimely death in the hotel's parking lot.
Shortly after Gibson's arrival, a black Chevrolet Tahoe pulled into the same parking lot. Inside were Michael G. Cook, 43, and Jonathan M. Rodriguez, 27. Rodriguez, also known as "Grumpy," got out of the passenger seat and approached the same hotel room Gibson had entered. What transpired next was captured in 30-second increments by the hotel's motion-activated surveillance system. The footage showed Rodriguez, with a gun at his side and wearing a full face mask, walking with Gibson down a ramp toward the parked Tahoe. An argument broke out between the two men, and Rodriguez attempted to force Gibson into the SUV. A struggle ensued, and two gunshots rang out.
When police responded to reports of gunfire at approximately 10:20 a.m., they found Gibson in the parking lot, struggling to breathe from a gunshot wound to the chest. He was unable to speak and died at the scene before he could be transported to a hospital. The investigation into his death began swiftly, with law enforcement quickly identifying the two men in the Chevrolet Tahoe as suspects.
Michael G. Cook was apprehended about 45 minutes after the shooting during an unrelated traffic stop in West Richland. Jonathan M. Rodriguez, the alleged shooter, went on the run, prompting a police search. A felony warrant was issued for his arrest, and he was eventually taken into custody. The investigation revealed a contentious relationship between Rodriguez and Gibson. Earlier that morning, a woman who had been dating Rodriguez sent him a text message alleging that Gibson had touched her inappropriately while she was sleeping at a Kennewick apartment.
Both men faced charges for their involvement in Gibson's death. Michael G. Cook pleaded guilty to first-degree rendering criminal assistance and received the maximum sentence of four and a half years in prison. After initially being scheduled for trial, Jonathan M. Rodriguez pleaded guilty to the murder of Joshua Gibson and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to 32 and a half years in prison. During the legal proceedings, Gibson's family described him as a kind and caring person who went out of his way to help others. On the day he was killed, he had been helping someone fix their car.
