RSSBrother, sister arrested in Toppenish gang slayings
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A shooting suspect's sister faces a first court appearance this afternoon in connection with the deaths of two gang members in Toppenish last week.
Her brother, meanwhile, is being held on $5 million bail on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree assault.
The man's sister, a 21-year-old Wapato woman, will be transferred from Toppenish to the Yakima County jail on the same charges, Toppenish police said Monday.
The victims who were killed were 17-year-old Estevan Silva Jr. and 20-year-old Israel Diaz.
The male suspect, a 20-year-old man from Buena, had been in custody since being arrested Friday for a misdemeanor driving charge. He was officially arrested in the murder case early Monday after investigators pieced together witness accounts.
A police report said the male suspect claimed he fired at one of the victims because he was holding a rock.
Toppenish police Sgt. Paul Logan said none of the other statements taken in the case substantiates that version of the events, which took place about 10:20 p.m. Thursday.
Logan said the suspects apparently spotted the victims, recognized them as gang rivals and took a route that would put them on the same path.
The surviving victims -- a 15-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man -- said they were using a common shortcut to walk across railroad property off the 10 block of Buena Way, saving themselves three or four blocks on the way home, Logan said.
Instead, they were approached by a small car. The passenger, identified as the male suspect, asked what they represented, a common callout between gang rivals.
After an exchange of gang names, the male suspect allegedly opened fire with a .22-caliber pistol, firing what police counted as 11 shots.
One small bullet struck each victim. Diaz was hit in the heart, Silva in the head, authorities said.
The 15-year-old boy and 20-year-old man were not hurt.
Logan said the victims' families and other gang members provided critical information to investigators, an unusual degree of cooperation given that many gang-related homicides are likely to inspire silence and retaliation among those involved.
Logan said the rival gangs actually fly the same colors, but that's not enough for them to stop killing each other.
It's been the same in other gang-related homicides across the Yakima Valley, where motives for hitting the trigger may range from a minor misunderstanding to murder.
"They don't get along," Logan said about the intra-gang disputes. "It just depends on the day."
The homicides were the seventh and eighth reported this year in Yakima County.
* Mark Morey can be reached at 577-7671 or mmorey@yakimaherald.com.
THIS IS VERY SAD, ALL THE KIDS INVOLVED ARE YOUNG. THE TWO IN CUSTODY JUST THROUGH THEIR LIFE AWAY FOR NOTHING. IT HURTS ME TO SEE THAT THEY HAD TO GO THAT FAR. BUT IM GLAD THEY GOT CAUGHT THEIR NOT GOING TO GET AWAY WITH THIS ONE.ONE THING THAT HURTS ME THE MOST IS THAT YES THE BOYS WERE IN GANG BUT THEY WERENT LOOKIN FOR TROUBLE THEY WERE JUST WALKING HOME. THE TWO IN CUSTODY WERE LOOKING FOR TROUBLE. ONE OF THE ONES THAT WERE MURDERED WAS MY YOUNGER BROTHER. ISRAEL DIAZ WAS MY WONDERFUL BROTHER. HE HAD JUST GOT OUT OF PRISON THAT SAME DAY AROUND 3:30PM. AND HE WAS SAYING TO THE FAMILY I WANT TO CHANGE. HE SAID TOMORROW IMA GO LOOK FOR A JOB THAT WAY I CAN BECOME A MAN AND TAKE CARE OF MY DAUGHTER OF FOUR MONTHS WHICH BY THE WAY LOOKS JUST LIKE HIM BUT HE NEVER GOT TO SEE HER. THEY DIDNT EVEN GIVE HIM A DAY. THEY SAY MY BROTHER WAS SHOT IN THE HEART, :( HE HAD THE MOST WARM AND LOVING HEART EVER. IT HURTS ME TO KNOW THAT. HE WAS A WONDERFUL PERSON. AND WE ARE GONNA MISS HIM DEEPLY.... I LOVE YOU PILO..R.I.P
Report Violation"YES THE BOYS WERE IN GANG BUT THEY WERENT LOOKIN FOR TROUBLE THEY WERE JUST WALKING HOME"
The above statement depicts the fallacy that gangs provide a "family" for its members. It depicts the danger of belonging to any gang because the minute someone joins, their live no longer belong to them, but to the gang. Yes, it is a tragedy that so many young kids are wasted in this life, so why do they do it I think the answers are many, but one of the main ones is - they don't have home supervision and/or live with parents who are either ignorant of the behavior of their kids or simply don't care - after all, "kids will be kids". There is too much time after school, (those that even go to school) that kids are left alone. Their choices are: Homework, (right, who would do that?) TV, Video Games, or hanging out with their friends. None of these involve parental supervision because both all the parents in the home work in almost every case. What is the answer? Who knows? One that would help is to get rid of the so-called "child labor laws" that had good intentions but a bad outcome. At least the kids that wanted to, could get a job instead of being forced to illicit and criminal activity to find money for their wants and needs. That would be a start. I'm sorry any family has to go through this, but that is what happens to many gangsters and it is the life they chose.
My condolences to the families of the departed; my heartfelt sorrow for the families of the ones who ruined their own lives. Now...10:20 pm on a school night...15 and 17 year olds should be home after supper and doing some homework and a little tv. Twenty and 21 year olds should be also in bed because they have to work or go to college. I don't care what age you are. Appropriate behavior for the time of day that it is, will begat good results.
Report ViolationThis is a very sad story. My condolences go out to the family.. I hope that this will be an eye opener for parents. The days of fist fights are gone and replaced by gun fights.
Toppenish "Where the west still lives"
I don't think the answer to gang violence is a lack of labor issue. I strongly believe these problems are related to lack of education, self esteem and mentors. It is a fast-growing problem in our valley, and we need to come together as a community to address and solve these problems, otherwise these stories will continue to rule the news. We do not need anymore families going through what these others have been through.
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