Jatzivy Sarabia

Jatzivy Sarabia, an 18-year-old Middle Eastern / Arab woman, was out with friends on the night of October 15, 2022, heading to a party in Finley, Washington. She was riding as a passenger in a Jeep when their night was shattered by a terrifying ambush in Kennewick. Near Highway 397 and Third Avenue, two other cars—a dark-colored Honda and a silver Kia—pulled alongside the Jeep and occupants inside opened fire, unleashing a barrage of bullets.

Sarabia, who was sitting in the back seat, was struck twice. The driver of the Jeep managed to escape the chaotic scene and drive to her father's home, but Sarabia’s injuries were fatal. Investigators later recovered more than 70 shell casings from the road, a testament to the intensity of the attack. Police learned the violence was not random but the culmination of a dispute that began a day earlier in Spokane.

The investigation revealed that an argument had erupted in Spokane between a man named Isaiah Combs and the owner of the Jeep, who was a friend of Sarabia's. Combs reportedly felt disrespected by a slang term she used and pointed a gun at her. The next day, the groups met again at a sports bar in the Tri-Cities before heading to the party, which led to the deadly ambush. After the shooting, some of the alleged assailants returned to the sports bar, where one of the youngest suspects reportedly bragged about the killing.

In the weeks and months that followed, law enforcement made a series of arrests. Isaiah Combs was one of the first taken into custody and charged with aggravated first-degree murder. Layshawne Bethea-Dickerson, who was 13 at the time of the shooting, was also arrested and charged with murder; a court later determined he would be tried as an adult. Over the next year and a half, more alleged participants were apprehended, including Torrey Daniels, Marcell Cola, and Darrious Thomason, who were all charged with aggravated first-degree murder for their roles as shooters. Several other individuals were also arrested for related offenses, such as rendering criminal assistance.

Marcell Cola was the first of the accused shooters to face a jury. His trial for aggravated first-degree murder began in Benton County Superior Court in the spring of 2024. After weeks of testimony, the proceedings ended in a mistrial when the jury deadlocked with an 11-1 vote. Prosecutors announced their intention to retry the case. As of April 2024, the trials for co-defendants Darrious Thomason, Layshawne Bethea-Dickerson, and Isaiah Combs were scheduled for later in the year.