Gang member in custody after Friday night shooting

YAKIMA, Wash. - A 19-year-old man remains in custody at Yakima County Jail today after he allegedly shot another man in a Yakima parking lot Friday night.

Officers responded to a report of shots being fired at 11 p.m. on the 900 block of North Fourth Street, according to a news release from the Yakima Police Department. They found a 22-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the right side of his head.

The victim told police he was in a vehicle outside a business when a man entered from the passenger side, pulled out a gun and tried to rob him of cash, Sgt. Erik Hildebrand wrote in the news release. The victim fought back and grabbed the gun, but the suspect shot him in the right ear.

Hildebrand said the suspect thrust the gun into the victim’s stomach and tried to fire the gun again. However, the victim was able to disarm the man, who then took off running.

Officers found him and took him into custody. They identified the 19-year-old as a known gang member. He faces charges of 1st-degree assault and 1st-degree robbery.

The gun was recovered at the scene of the shooting and was later identified as being stolen.

The victim was treated at a local hospital and was later released.

- Yakima Herald-Republic