Ephrata man arrested in connection with Schwana murder
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 months, 1 week AGO
An Ephrata man has been arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder after a man was killed near Schwana Wednesday night. The suspect, Angel Luis Olivares, is being held at the Grant County Jail.
FILE PHOTO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | May 29, 2025 4:59 PM
EPHRATA — An Ephrata man was booked into the Grant County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder and drive-by shooting Thursday following the fatal shooting of a 44-year-old man near Schwana late Wednesday night.
The victim was from Beverly but his name is not being released yet pending notification of his family.
“At this time, we have not been able to locate a next of kin,” said Maxwell Yoder, an investigator with the Grant County Coroner’s office, early Thursday afternoon. As a result, the victim’s name had not been released as of the time of publication
Kyle Foreman, public information officer for the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, said Angel Luis Olivares, 23, was driving a car that had been identified as a suspect vehicle when he was arrested. Luis Olivares was still listed as in custody on the Grant County Jail’s roster as of 5 p.m. Thursday.
Foreman said detectives are still interviewing people to determine if the shooting was gang related.
The incident was reported at about 10 p.m. Wednesday, Foreman said.
The man’s body was found in a car on road T.5 Southwest, about three miles north of Schwana. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Schwana is located about seven miles north of Mattawa along State Route 243.
Video from cameras near the crime scene identified a suspect vehicle, a white Chrysler 300, Foreman said.
Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said another incident involving a white Chrysler 300 was reported in Quincy earlier in the day.
Green said QPD officers received multiple reports of shots fired at about 4 p.m. and found multiple shell casings near the intersection of Sixth Avenue Southeast and H Street Southeast. No one was injured in that shooting.
Green said QPD officers don’t know yet if the two shootings are related, but it is possible.
“We’re definitely comparing information, for sure,” he said.
Ephrata Police Department officers found the vehicle suspected in the Schwana shooting and arrested Olivares as he drove to his residence in Ephrata. Olivares was the only person in the car when he was arrested, Foreman said.
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