On the night of Friday, October 27, 2023, 32-year-old Jennifer Castro of Yakima, Washington, was fatally shot after returning from a Halloween party with her boyfriend, 31-year-old Carsen Casey, and a friend. The group had been drinking earlier at the party and went back to a residence in the 1300 block of South 11th Avenue. Castro and Casey were in the kitchen when a single gunshot was fired; the friend said he heard the shot and saw Casey holding a gun as Castro stumbled into the living room and collapsed.

Both Casey and the friend performed CPR and a 911 caller initially characterized the injury as an accidental shooting, but Castro was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound. Yakima Police found Casey and the friend in the home; Casey was arrested and charged with first-degree manslaughter and is being held in the Yakima County jail. The couple’s two children were not at the house that night.

The Yakima Police Department is continuing its investigation into the circumstances of the shooting. If anyone has information about what happened that night or knew Jennifer, please share what you know.