YAKIMA, Wash.-A Yakima man charged with murder after a shooting that left a man dead at the Valley Mall in Union Gap in 2021 is now free.
Jonathan Navarro was acquitted of his charges and the case against him was dismissed in Yakima County Superior Court on August 29.
Navarro was charged for the shooting on August 22, 2021 that killed Jose De Jesus Rivera De La Cruz.
Union Gap Police and Yakima Police responded to the scene and found a gunshot victim who appears to have been a bystander caught in the gunfire after an argument between two groups.
According to probable cause documents filed in Yakima County Superior Court in 2021 witnesses to the shooting followed the suspect after the shots were fired and were able to provide police with a description of the car and license plate number.
Navarro was identified by witnesses at the scene as the shooter and was also visible in dashcam footage from the mall parking lot firing a gun and with the gun in the front waistband of his pants.
Probable cause for arresting and ultimately charging Navarro was based on witness statements, the dashcam footage and security camera footage from stores in the mall that appeared to show Navarro firing 14 rounds, hitting two cars and De La Cruz.
Navarro was ultimately arrested on suspicion of the shooting and charged with first degree murder and six counts of second degree assault, with his bail set at $1 million on September 3, 2021 according to court documents.
On October 8, 2021 Navarro and his defense team were granted the first of eight continuances in the case as they worked to put together more witness testimony and allow evidence to be discovered.
According to court documents Navarro informed the court on June 21, 2023 that he planned to assert self-defense/defense of others in the use of force for his role in the shooting.
Navarro’s jury trial began on August 14, 2023 and after a two-week trial with testimony from dozens of witnesses, including Navarro himself, a review of evidence and an overview of the case he was found not guilty.
Navarro was acquitted of all charges and ordered to be released immediately when the case against him was dismissed with prejudice on August 29 according to court documents.
A case being dismissed with prejudice means that it cannot be retried.
