On February 21, 2015, in Toppenish, Washington, 26-year-old Hispanic male Ramon Verduzco Jr. was shot multiple times in an alley and later died at a hospital. An autopsy revealed Verduzco had been shot five times in the torso with a. 40-caliber handgun, and his death was ruled a homicide due to blood loss from the multiple gunshot wounds.
Following the shooting, a 16-year-old suspect, Gabriel Madrigal, was arrested after being brought to the police by his family.
He was charged with second-degree murder and was to be tried as an adult. However, the Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney's Office later dismissed the charges against Madrigal, citing a lack of sufficient evidence to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The case against him reportedly relied heavily on eyewitness testimonies that were inconsistent or changed over time. The charges were dismissed without prejudice, which means they could be refiled in the future if new evidence emerges.
