Armando G. Sanzon-Vasquez, 27, a Hispanic male, was sitting in the driver’s seat of a parked car with a friend on the evening of March 24, 2015, in front of 201 Ebony Lane in Wapato, Washington, when another vehicle rolled past and opened fire. Multiple rounds tore through the car, striking Armando repeatedly while also wounding his passenger. His friend was rushed to a hospital and survived; Armando died at the scene. The Yakima County Coroner later detailed catastrophic internal injuries consistent with multiple high-velocity gunshot wounds, concluding his death was an unjustifiable homicide.
Investigators described the attack as a drive-by shooting and, in early reports, noted a dark-colored SUV easing by as shots were fired before speeding away into the night. Deputies and Wapato police had been called around 9 p.m. to the area outside town, where they found Armando deceased behind the wheel and the passenger gravely hurt. The suspect vehicle was not found.
In the months that followed, loved ones memorialized him by his full name, Armando Sanzon Vasquez, and remembered his roots and life in the Yakima Valley, even as the official record made plain the violence of his final moments. Public tributes and memorial listings preserved the date and place of his killing and echoed the call for answers.
Years later, the case remained open. The Yakima County Sheriff’s Office publicly asked the community for information about the drive-by that killed Armando, identifying the location on Ebony Lane and providing a case number for tips. No public record indicates an arrest or named suspect in his homicide; authorities have continued to appeal for leads while keeping the investigation active.
