Yakima police continue investigation after security guard killed outside bar

YAKIMA – Jose Sanchez was a man who loved his family and would help anyone who needed it, a family member said.

“He was the kind of person who, if he sees you on the side of the road, would pull over,” said one of his cousins, who asked that his name not be used for fear of retaliation.

Sanchez, 26, of Tieton, Washington, was shot to death Sept. 15, outside El Asadero Bar & Grill, where he worked as a security guard, according to police.

Two suspects were initially arrested, but police released them, citing evidence that suggested it was an act of self-defense.

It’s a decision that angers his cousin, who spoke with people at the bar and others who witnessed the incident.

“It was messed up,” the cousin said of the decision. “An underage kid tried to come in, and (Sanchez) kept him from coming in.” That confrontation, he said, then led to the shooting.

YPD spokesperson Yvette Inzunza said police are still working the case and seeking video and other evidence. Police took the evidence they obtained earlier to the Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which decided that there was not enough to overcome a self-defense argument.

Police were called to the bar in the 1100 block of South Third Street around 11:15 p.m. for a fight and found Sanchez outside the bar with gunshot wounds.

He was taken to Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police.

Sanchez died from gunshot wounds to his torso, Yakima County Coroner Jim Curtice said, and his death is deemed a homicide.

Sanchez, his cousin said, had a young son he described as “his whole world.”

“He was always about his family and providing for his baby,” the cousin said. “He was such a great guy.”

Sanchez’s death was one of 12 homicides in the city this year, and among 27 in the county.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Yakima police at (509) 575-6200.

Tips may also be left with Yakima County Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477 or online at bit.ly/yccrimestoppers.