A former Kamiakin High School football player was identified Friday as the teenager killed in a shooting in Kennewick this week.
Ricardo Rivera, 17, was in a house in the 2100 block of Rhode Island Court when someone opened fire around 5:15 p.m., according to a new statement from Kennewick police.
The shooting took place a few blocks north of the intersection of Steptoe Street and Gage Boulevard.
Several men were seen fleeing the mobile home park when police arrived and found Rivera injured. He was rushed to a local hospital where he died.
Officers surrounded the area and searched with a police dog, but no arrests were made Friday evening.
Detectives worked through the night to investigate the shooting, police said. They spoke with witnesses and viewed video footage of the area. A press release says they are considering a homicide investigation, but they don’t believe the shooting was random.
A GoFundMe campaign has been organized to help Rivera’s parents and siblings with the cost of his funeral.
“Ricardo was loved by many and still had many dreams to fulfill in his young life,” organizer Viviana Rivera wrote. “Ricardo is now in a much better place and will protect and watch over us from above.”
The campaign, bit.ly/RicardoRiveraFundraiser, had raised over $8,000 in its first five hours.
The shooting was the fourth homicide in the Tri-Cities in eight days and occurred less than a week after a shooting a few blocks away on the 9100 block of West Arrowhead Avenue that injured a 30-year-old man.
Police are asking anyone with information about Thursday’s shooting to call police at 509-628-0333 or Kpdtips.com.
This story was originally published April 29, 2022 6:13 p.m.
