Yakima boy shot in head in another apparent gang shooting

YAKIMA Wash. -- Another night brought more violence in Yakima as a 16-year-old boy was shot in the head in a drive-by shooting in the 400 block of South Fourth Street.

Police said the teenager underwent surgery. His condition is critical, according to the Yakima County Coroner’s Office, which has been in touch with the hospital.

Witnesses told police that the boy was outside a house shortly before 11 p.m. when a car drove up, fired several shots then sped away.

Police said he is known to them as a member of the Sureño gang.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 509-575-6200.

Police announced earlier this week a crackdown on gang violence after a 23-year-old woman was hit by a stray bullet from a gang fight on Roosevelt Avenue. The woman has since been released from the hospital and a suspect has been arrested.

There have been at least nine shootings in the Yakima area since early May, including one fatality.