TOPPENISH, Wash. — Three people were killed, including a 13-year-old, in a shooting in Toppenish Thursday morning.
According to the Toppenish Police Department, an 18-year-old woman and 21-year-old woman were killed alongside the 13-year-old boy.
The 19-year-old suspect is believed to have taken his own life.
A 21-year-old man involved in the incident was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The shooting occurred around 5 a.m. Thursday on Pearne Street.
Though the investigation is in its early stages, preliminary information indicates the suspect acted alone, according to the police department.
Police are asking anyone with further information to call the Toppenish Police Department at 509-865-1629.
Public safety in Yakima County
The Yakima County Sheriff's Office could not comment on the case and is not involved in the investigation, but Sheriff Robert Udell said on a big-picture level, he is hopeful more community members will become engaged in making a change toward public safety in the region.
According to Sheriff Udell, his office copes with disproportionately low staffing levels and high violent crime rates.
"I think in Yakima County we've just become numb to it," Sheriff Udell said. "A 14-year-old gets killed in a drive-by, and it might be a little blip in the news; where other communities, it would be in the papers, in the news, for days. That needs to change. We need more resources, absolutely."
Sheriff Udell said many agencies in the region have become reactive, not proactive. He is hopeful that increased collaboration among departments, especially on a new state-of-the-art crime lab located in Yakima County, will make a difference. He said what happens in Yakima County impacts other jurisdictions, too.
"We're gonna fight back by being collaborative, getting out in front of it, and showing people across the region [that], no, we are going to take care of these issues," Sheriff Udell said. "Law enforcement's not gonna do it alone. A couple civic groups, nonprofits cannot do it alone. Communities are going to have to decide they won't stand for it, and fund and support these organizations and that's when you start having change."