YAKIMA, Wash. – Over the weekend, Yakima faced two shootings that resulted in a man’s death and a toddler being hospitalized. Additionally, police confronted a man they said had a rifle in the Oxford Suites off Yakima Ave and 17th St. That incident resulted in a man dead.
Yakima Chief of Police Shawn Boyle, who was sworn in just six days ago, shared his observations on the change in violent crime over his nearly 30-year career in the city.
“Earlier, my career has a lot of drive by shootings, a lot of just random shots fired calls, but it seemed to be more targeted and more isolated incidents that are, like I said, are leading to more serious injury and deaths,” Boyle said.
Despite the recent violence, Chief Boyle remains optimistic about improving community safety.
“We’re talking about going back to a system of block watch. And what that is, is, you know, everybody in the neighborhood knows who and who doesn’t belong in your neighborhood and what seems right. We try to limit the amount of calls that officers have to respond to to allow them to be proactively policing the streets,” he added.
The most recent incident occurred just hours after the Super Bowl, where officers responded to a welfare check around 10:40 p.m. on Folsom Ave. They found a 21-year-old man and a one-year-old with gunshot wounds. The toddler was transferred to MultiCare Memorial Hospital and was in stable condition as of Monday afternoon. Unfortunately, the man was pronounced dead at the scene despite lifesaving efforts.
Late Saturday evening, police responded to MultiCare Memorial Hospital for a gunshot victim. The man was stabilized and flown to a Seattle area hospital for further care. The department believes this incident occurred near South 28th Street.
Additionally, on Saturday, police confronted a man with a rifle at the Oxford Suites, resulting in the man being shot and killed.
Chief Boyle emphasized the importance of community involvement in maintaining safety.
“We put out extra officers so that they we can communicate. And it does two fold. One, it’s a it’s an ability for people to feel safe. Number two is it gives our officers an opportunity to interact with the public in a positive manner,” he stated.
The incident from Sunday night is currently under investigation, and there is no suspect at this time. Anyone with information is encouraged to call 509-575-6200 or visit the Crime Stoppers website to remain anonymous.
