On the morning of October 7, 2016, in Auburn, Washington, 17-year-old Erick Valdez-Herrera was sitting unarmed in his car in the 500 block of 25th Street Southeast when a group approached and one person fired multiple close-range shots into the vehicle. He suffered gunshot wounds to his shoulder, back, and chest and was pronounced dead at the scene. Nearby schools went into precautionary lockdowns after the shooting.

Investigators focused quickly on 16-year-old Alexander Joachin, who was found roughly two blocks from the scene about 15 minutes after the shooting and later arrested that night at a Federal Way residence. Joachin confessed during a police interview, saying he had intended to sock Valdez-Herrera but instead pulled a concealed handgun and fired after perceived disrespect toward other gang members. Police recovered a handgun matching the caliber used and clothing alleged to have been worn that morning.

Joachin was charged as an adult with second-degree murder, pleaded guilty in September 2017, and a Superior Court judge later imposed a 12½-year prison sentence. Did anyone in Auburn see the events that morning or know more about tensions between the people involved?