Royal City shooting victim identified

ROYAL CITY — An Othello man was identified as the deceased person from a double shooting early Friday morning near Royal City.

Grant County Coroner Craig Morrison identified the man as Arturo Sosa, 28, of Othello. Sosa reportedly died from multiple gunshot wounds. The second shooting victim, whose identity has not been released, was airlifted from the scene via LifeFlight helicopter to a local hospital for treatment, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. The condition of the second victim was not specified by the sheriff’s office on Tuesday.

Deputies with the sheriff’s office believe a person or persons in a separate vehicle are responsible for the shooting. Deputies do not currently have a description of the suspects or an involved suspect vehicle.

The vehicle the victims were in, a mid-1990s Ford Explorer, was reportedly heading west on state Route 26, approaching state Route 262, sometime between 4:10 a.m. and 5 a.m. when the shooting occurred. The Explorer came to a rest partially blocking SR-26, about three miles east of Royal City. Detectives are hoping a passerby might have seen the incident.

“The victim's’ Ford Explorer is unique as it has Herbalife independent distributor decals printed in Spanish across the rear window,” stated the sheriff’s office on Tuesday.

The decals on the back of the Explorer read, “Herbalife Nutrición Distribuidor Independiente.” A section of SR-26 was closed off between Royal City and Othello for several hours Friday morning as detectives conducted their investigation. The highway was reopened about 10:30 a.m.

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