Gang-related shooting in Royal City

Herald staff writer

Bullets lodged in residence

ROYAL CITY - A gang-related shooting was reported at a home on Juniper Circle in Royal City Friday night.

The shooting is the second gang-related shooting in a nine-day period, Police Chief Darin Smith stated.

"Police were contacted by several witnesses who reported hearing the four to five shots being fired," he noted. "Additional witnesses reported seeing several subjects fleeing the area on foot."

Descriptions of the subjects were not provided to police.

One residence was struck three times during the shooting, Smith stated.

"The rounds entered the residence and were lodged in the interior walls of the second-story bedroom," he noted. "One round entered the bedroom about a foot above one of the beds in the room. No one is believed to have been in the bedroom at the time of the shooting."

No injuries were reported.

The previous gang-related shooting occurred July 17 when a group of people from Othello drove through a residential area in Royal City, Smith noted. An Othello male was shot in the hand and shoulder and was taken to Othello Community Hospital for treatment.

The shootings remain under investigation.

Anyone with information about either incident can contact the Royal City Police Department at 509-346-2212 or the Grant County Sheriff's Office at 509-754-2011.