Police look for suspect

ROYAL CITY — A third Royal City shooting over the past two weeks was reported Wednesday night.

Six to seven shots were fired in the area of the old Red Rock Elementary School building, Royal City Police Chief Darin J. Smith said Monday.

Witnesses advised of seeing a Hispanic male running from the area. He reportedly got into a brown and silver van in the 300 block of Hawthorn Avenue and left.

Police searched where the shooting appeared to happen and were unable to immediately locate any spent casings or other evidence.

He said a specific location of the shooting was not determined by witnesses and the male running from the scene might not be a suspect. Smith said it’s possible he was running away from the scene due to the shots fired.

No victims have come forward to aid the police investigation.

Information gathered by police led them to a home on Balsam Street near where the shots were fired, he said. It’s believed a home was the target of the shooting and the person who lives there might have been injured from the a bullet fragment or debris from a wall.

“The subject denied that the shooting took place at his residence or that he was struck by a bullet or debris,” Smith said. “Police did observe that the subject had a very small scratch on his arm.”

The police believe the residence was the target and was reportedly a target of two other shootings last year, he said. It is also believed to be the location where a man was shot in the hand and shoulder July 16.

It is too soon to determine if the third shooting is gang-related, he said.

Police are having difficulty locating suspects and gathering information due to witnesses declining to report incidents to police, Smith said.

“They need to come forward and talk or it’s going to get worse,” he said.

Citizens worry that if they report incidents to police they might be a victim of retaliation, the chief stated.

Smith said people have the option to remain anonymous when they report incidents to police.

Anyone with information can call the police department at 509-346-2212 or 509-762-1160.