A 15-year-old boy from the Benton City area was arrested Thursday on suspicion of second-degree murder.
The death occurred at a home in the 27000 block of Ambassador PR in rural Benton County Thursday evening, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said. The home is located between West Richland and Benton City and is among several vineyards.
The sheriff’s office said reports indicate that between 6:00 and 8:30 p.m., a fight broke out between a man and a woman in which a 15-year-old intervened and the man was injured.
When deputies arrived, they found 54-year-old Shane A. Taylor suffering from multiple life-threatening injuries and they attempted to administer first aid. But Taylor died of his injuries at home.
Investigators are still looking into whether the teenager was acting in the woman’s defense.
The Benton County Coroner’s Office plans to conduct an autopsy to confirm how Taylor died.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Benton County Sheriff’s Office at 509-735-6555.
Taylor’s death is the 17th homicide in Benton County of 2022.
This is the third juvenile under the age of 16 to be arrested on suspicion of murder in Benton County this week.
