In the small city of Grandview, Washington, a life full of promise was tragically cut short on the evening of March 17, 2015. Genaro Garza Jr., a Caucasian male of 16 years, found himself in a situation that would abruptly end his journey into manhood. The young man, known to be a junior at a local alternative high school, was already a father, balancing the responsibilities of parenthood with his education.
His school administrators would later remember him as a very likable young man with a variety of interests.
That Tuesday evening, around 7:25 p.m., the sound of gunfire pierced the air in the 200 block of Avenue E. When Grandview police officers arrived on the scene, they were met with a group of uncooperative young men and a trail of blood that led to a nearby house, though the victim was nowhere to be found. It was later learned that Genaro had been taken by private vehicle to PMH Medical Center in Prosser with a gunshot wound to his upper left chest. From there, he was being transported to a hospital in Spokane but went into cardiac failure and was diverted to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, where he ultimately succumbed to his injury. The Yakima County Coroner's Office would later classify his death as a homicide, the result of exsanguination from the single gunshot wound.
The investigation into Genaro's death quickly pointed to a gathering at the Avenue E residence. After obtaining a search warrant for the home, detectives were able to piece together the events of that fateful night. It was determined that Genaro was standing outside the residence when a gun inside the house discharged, the bullet striking him in the chest. While initial reports from the police suggested the shooting was accidental and occurred during an illegal gun sale, the coroner's report officially ruled it a homicide. The investigation led to the arrest of an 18-year-old Grandview teenager on suspicion of manslaughter. Police did not release a motive for the shooting but stated that it did not appear to be gang-related. Genaro's role, if any, in the alleged gun sale was not disclosed by the authorities. In the wake of the tragedy, the Grandview School District made counseling services available to students, grappling with the sudden loss of a young life.
