On a Friday afternoon in Wapato, Washington, on February 2, 2018, William Gardipee, a 27-year-old Black / African American male, was walking in the 400 block of West First Street when his life was tragically cut short. At approximately 1 p.m., Gardipee was shot in the abdomen. Another individual who was with him was also wounded in the incident.
Emergency services responded to the scene, but Gardipee succumbed to his single gunshot wound.
The second victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment. The Wapato Police Department, along with the Yakima County Sheriff's Office, immediately began an investigation into the shooting.
In the days following the shooting, authorities publicly identified William Gardipee as the deceased. An autopsy confirmed that a single gunshot wound to the abdomen was the cause of death. Despite the ongoing investigation by law enforcement, no arrests were made in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
As time passed, the case of William Gardipee's death grew cold. There have been no subsequent public announcements regarding any persons of interest, suspects, or arrests in connection with his murder. The investigation remains open, but without any new leads or information being released to the public, the circumstances surrounding his death and the identity of his killer remain unknown. The shooting that ended a young man's life on a winter afternoon continues to be an unresolved tragedy for his family and the community of Wapato.
