1 still wanted for questioning in Royal City shooting

ROYAL CITY — One of two brothers who are wanted for questioning in connection with an injury shooting in Royal City last week contacted police on Thursday and provided a statement.

Police were searching for Jesus and Jonathan after a man was shot several times in Royal City last Wednesday night. Royal City police and deputies with the Grant County Sheriff’s Office responded to the report of shots fired in the 400 block of Juniper Circle about 9:15 p.m. Police arrived and located a 44-year-old Royal City man who had been shot several times, according to Royal City Police Chief Darin Smith.

The victim was transported to Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake for treatment of the gunshot wounds. Witnesses reported seeing a dark-colored sedan leaving the area after the shooting. After the shooting police announced they wanted to question Jonathan and Jesus Torres, who were possibly traveling in a dark blue 2008 Lexus Sedan, license plate No. BAX4819. Jesus provided police with a statement on Thursday, while Jonathan has yet to be located.

The Torres brothers were previously arrested on Juniper Circle over the summer following a shooting in Moses Lake. In the hours before the shooting allegedly Jesus entered Apex Cannabis in Moses Lake and was involved in a brief scuffle with a rival gang member. The two men were tossed from the business and, prosecutors alleged, the Torres brothers followed the car, in a Lexus alleged to have been driven by Jonathan, the rival member got into after he exited Apex.

The prosecution contended Jonathan fired shots at the vehicle, one of which struck the female driver in the back of the head, an injury she would go on to survive. The brothers fled to Royal City and were taken into custody shortly after.

The brothers were each charged with first-degree assault and drive-by shooting and opted for a bench trial before Judge John Antosz. Antosz found the brothers not guilty, on the basis in his view of the prosecution not proving beyond a reasonable doubt the concrete identity of the shooter, and the Torres brothers were released from custody.

If you have any information contact one of the following agencies: Royal City Police Department at 509-346-2212, Grant County Sheriff’s Office at 509-754-2011 or MACC Dispatch at 509-762-1160.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at rbyrd@columbiabasinherald.com.