One hospitalized after early Monday shooting in Soap Lake
The suspect in the shooting was located in a business/residence in the 100 block of Daisy Street S in Soap Lake, only a short distance from where the assault took place.
COURTESY PHOTO/SLPD
A shooting occurred early Monday morning near the 100 block of Main Avenue East in Soap Lake resulting in the hospitalization of the victim and the arrest of one subject.
SOAP LAKE - Monday morning an Ephrata resident was shot in Soap Lake, resulting in a two-hour search for the suspected shooter.
A release by the Soap Lake Police Department states that at approximately 1:17 a.m., MACC Dispatch received a 911 call indicating a male had been shot in the 100 block of Main Ave E. Officers arrived in the area and located the victim, identified as 33-year-old Levi Dean Rishky of Ephrata, lying on the ground at the intersection of Main Ave E and Daisy Street S.
The release states the SLPD, along with mutual aid from the Ephrata Police Department, provided first aid to Rishky who was able to tell officers the location of the assault and description of the suspect.
Moses Lake Police Department Officer Brad Zook and K-9 Rex initiated a track for the suspect from a residence in the 500 block of Main Ave E, where the assault took place, according to the press release. SLPD Officer Trevor Jones and Chief Ryan Cox made contact with several individuals at the residence which led them to a possible location of the suspect, a business in the 100 block of Daisy Street S, which also is used for a residence and was less than one block from the crime scene. At the same time, Zook and Rex tracked to the same location.
The release states officers started to call out the individuals of the residence over a PA system. After all of the residents were removed from the home and accounted for by the owner, consent was given for the officers and Rex to clear the building.
At 3:39 a.m. the suspect, Julian A. Beauchamp Ortega, 29, of Quincy, was located in one of the basement bedrooms and was taken into custody, according to the release. A firearm was also located in the vicinity of the suspect. Ortega was transported to Grant County Jail and booked on assault in the 1st degree, felon in possession of a firearm, and a Department of Corrections Escape Community Custody felony warrant. Other charges may be filed at a later date.
Rishky was flown by Life Flight to Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee and there is no update on his status.
“There appears to be no motive for the attack on the victim at this time,” the release states.
Cox said neither the victim nor the suspect is part of the transient community known to frequent the area.
Grant County Fire District 7, AMR, Quincy Police Department, Grant County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol also responded to assist.
Rebecca Pettingill may be reached at rpettingill@columbiabasinherald.com.
