Arrests made in Benton City shooting
By Terry Murry on Friday, November 3rd, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
BENTON CITY – The Benton County Sheriff’s Office has arrested two suspects in connection with a shooting at a graduation party this past June in Benton City that left five people injured and one dead.
On June 10, deputies responded to reports of a shooting at a residence on the 2500 block of North Willard Avenue. The investigation revealed that Ruben Marin, 22, had allegedly fired multiple shots into a detached garage on the property from outside, striking five people inside. The victims suffered serious injuries but all five ultimately survived.
Law enforcement reports Marin fled the scene with three other associates and a separate shooting erupted, resulting in the death of one of the occupants in the vehicle, Jesus A. Chacon Contreras. As a result of the investigation by detectives, Marin was identified as the person responsible for the first shooting, and Vanessa M. Martinez, 21, was identified as the driver of the vehicle that assisted Marin as he fled the scene.
On Oct. 18, the Yakima Police Department arrested Marin on an unrelated homicide in Yakima. On Oct. 19, 2023, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office served Marin with an arrest warrant for five counts of first-degree assault for the June 10, shooting.
This past Tuesday, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office arrested Martinez without incident in Sunnyside. Martinez was taken into custody for allegedly rendering criminal assistance in the first degree for her involvement in assisting Marin to get away from the location and conspiring with Marin to fabricate a story to law enforcement about their involvement.
The investigation into the homicide is continues. The public is encouraged to contact the Benton County Sheriff’s Office at (509) 735-6555 if they have additional information about this case.
