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Third suspect in connection with fatal Moses Lake shooting arrested in California

The Moses Lake Police Department said 20-year-old Jose Beltran-Rodriguez turned himself in to law enforcement Sunday in Redding, Calif., in connection with the shooting death of a Moses Lake teen. Beltran-Rodriguez is the last of three named suspects to be arrested, all of whom are accused of shooting five people and killing a 14-year-old in Moses Lake on March 21. (Courtesy of the Moses Lake Police Department)
By Nick Gibson nickg@spokesman.com(509) 459-5039
The Moses Lake Police Department said 20-year-old Jose Beltran-Rodriguez turned himself in to law enforcement Sunday in Redding, Calif., in connection with the shooting death of a Moses Lake teen. Beltran-Rodriguez is the last of three named suspects to be arrested, all of whom are accused of shooting five people and killing a 14-year-old in Moses Lake on March 21. (Courtesy of the Moses Lake Police Department)

Law enforcement arrested a 20-year-old man Sunday, the last named suspect allegedly connected with a drive-by shooting in Moses Lake that killed a 14-year-old and injured four others.

Jose Beltran-Rodriguez, of Moses Lake, was arrested in Redding, California, following a weeklong, multistate manhunt launched by the U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force, according to a news release from the law enforcement collaboration.

Beltran-Rodriguez turned himself over to authorities, according to a social media post by the Moses Lake Police Department.

The apprehension of Beltran-Rodriguez follows two prior arrests in connection with the shooting. Matthew Valdez, 18, of Moses Lake, was arrested Friday in Beaverton, Oregon, and Cesar A. Cabrera, 14, of Mattawa, Washington, was arrested March 24 in Richland. Cabrera was booked into the Chelan County Juvenile Center in Wenatchee.

The three suspects, who, according to the news release, are suspected of being members of the Norteños gang, face murder, assault, drive-by shooting and firearm charges in the March 21 drive-by shooting, which took place in a residential neighborhood. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Moses Lake Police Department are pursuing federal charges, according to the release.

Moses lake resident Crystal Santoyo, 26, two 17-year-olds and a 12-year-old were injured in the shooting. They were treated and released from the hospital, according to the Moses Lake Police Department.

“The swift identification and arrest of multiple fugitives in this case demonstrates the strength of the U.S. Marshals Service’s proactive manhunt strategy,” said Craig Thayer, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Washington. “By leveraging cutting-edge investigative tools, intelligence analysis, and close partnerships with our law enforcement partners, we ensure that violent criminals are swiftly brought to justice.”