An afternoon drive on State Route 17 ended in deadly violence for 18-year-old Dominick Demetry Hernandez of Moses Lake on November 5, 2023. Hernandez was driving a red 2017 Ford Focus with a passenger when a black Dodge Charger pulled alongside and shots were fired into the car. The Focus left the roadway, flipped onto its roof, and both young men were critically injured.

Hernandez was airlifted to Kadlec Medical Center in Kennewick and died the next day, November 6. His passenger, 20-year-old Justin I. Walton, was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane with severe injuries. Grant County deputies located the Dodge Charger and arrested the driver, identified as 22-year-old Sergio M. Higuera of Moses Lake. Investigators said they were examining backgrounds and referenced possible gang connections mentioned by Higuera. Higuera was charged in November 2023 with two counts of first-degree assault and one count of drive-by shooting; after Hernandez died one assault count was upgraded to murder and bail was set at $500,000.

If anyone witnessed the shooting or the vehicles on State Route 17 that afternoon, can you share what you saw?