Police paint marks on the 1300 block of West Fifth Avenue in Kennewick show where a car driven by Julian Chavez, 19, crashed Saturday night before he was found dead.
bbrawdy@tricityherald.com
Kennewick, Washington
A suspect in the killing of a Kennewick teenager is being held on $1 million bail after making his first appearance before a Tri-Cities Juvenile Court judge Thursday.
Court Commissioner Darrin Campbell rejected the initially proposed bail of $500,000, citing the nature of the crime and the fact that the victim was shot from behind.
The 14-year-old boy charged with shooting and killing 19-year-old Julian Chavez Kennewick on Saturday.
Chavez was found dead in his car after being shot and crashing into a parked car.
The teenager is expected back in court next week. Prosecutors have until 5 p.m. Monday to file charges.
If he is charged, it is unclear whether prosecutors will try the teenager as an adult.
If this is the case, the teenager will have what is known as hearing loss. Under Washington state law, minors can be held criminally responsible for adults if they are 15 years of age or older and have committed a serious crime or are 14 years of age or younger charged with first or second degree murder.
The judge will conduct a discretionary waiver hearing to determine whether the case should be transferred to adult court.
Julian Chavez
“He was a good kid and always smiling,” said Fr A GoFundMe was started to help his family pay for the funeral.
An online fundraising site described him as an entertainer, a talent he planned to use as a hairdresser. He was saving money to go to barber school.
“Unfortunately for all of us, that will not happen as he was taken so suddenly and unexpectedly,” a family member wrote. “He will never be able to fulfill his dreams.”
As of 6 p.m. Thursday, the fundraiser had raised $4,570.
October 29 shooting
A shooting was reported in the 1100 block of West 5th Avenue in Kennewick on Saturday around 9:15 p.m.
When the officers arrived they found a car that had crashed into a parked car with Chavez dead inside.
The officers saw that the car had been shot at.
The motive for the shooting has not been released.
The death is being investigated as the 15th homicide this year in Benton County, Washington, with about half of them in Kennewick. It was also the third shooting of the weekend.
Annette Carey contributed to this report.
This story was originally published November 3, 2022 at 7:06 p.m.
