1 dead, 1 injured in Royal City shooting last Friday Possible suspect still at large

ROYAL CITY — The Grant County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information that could lead to a suspect in a double shooting near Royal City early in the morning on Friday Dec. 9, that left one person dead and another injured.

The deceased and injured were found in a SUV alongside state Route 26, near state Route 262, about three miles east of Royal City at about 5 a.m. The injured subject was airlifted from the scene to a nearby hospital.

This morning, Grant County Coroner Craig Morrison confirmed the identity of 28-year-old Arturo Sosa of Othello as the man killed. Sosa died from multiple gunshot wounds. The other person in the vehicle was also shot and was transported by LifeFlight to a regional hospital for treatment.

Detectives believe a person or persons in another vehicle are responsible for the shooting, but there is currently no description of those responsible or of any involved vehicle.

Detectives hope another motorist may have seen some part of the incident between 4:10 and 5:00 a.m. Friday. The victims’ vehicle, a green mid-90s Ford Explorer was westbound on SR-26 approaching SR-262 when the shooting happened. The Explorer ended up stopped and partially blocking westbound SR-262.

GCSO publicist Kyle Foreman said late Monday he has not heard from the GCSO whether it has been able to interview the injured individual.

If you have information about this incident, you are asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 509-762-1160 or email information to crimetips@grantcountywa.gov. Tipsters can remain anonymous.