Andrea Nunez was 20 and nearly five months pregnant when she was shot and killed in Kennewick, Washington, in the early morning hours of May 5, 2019. She and her boyfriend, Joseph Ayala, were walking near East Seventh Avenue and South Gum Street when they were confronted by a group of people in what authorities described as a gang-related incident. A verbal altercation included gang calls; when Nunez answered a rival call, a shot struck her in the back, piercing her heart. She died at the scene despite attempts to revive her.

Home security camera footage captured suspects following the couple and fleeing after the gunfire, and witnesses provided statements. Police identified two primary suspects, both 17 at the time: Adrian Mendoza, accused of firing the shot, and Marin J. Rivera Jr., accused of participating in the confrontation. Mendoza’s mother, Maria Rachel Mendoza, was later accused of helping him leave the area after the shooting. Another man, Ezekiel Sanchez, was implicated for illegal possession of a firearm in connection with the incident.

The killing left a family mourning a mother-to-be and raised questions about gang activity in the community. If anyone has information about that night or the people involved, please share what is known with investigators.