Fundraiser started for family of 13-year-old shot and killed visiting a Kennewick home
An online fundraiser has been started for Joseph Martinez, the 13-year-old who died after being shot Thursday at a Kennewick house he was visiting.
“A tragedy hit this family,” said Angelica Gonzales, who identified herself as a close friend of Joseph’s mother, Sandra Ramirez, on a GoFundMe page.
“We lost Joseph at only 13 years old,” Gonzales posted. “This has been an extremely hard time for the family and we don’t know all the answers yet, but we are asking for your help to cover this difficult time in need.”
She called Joseph “an amazing brave young man who loved his family.”
He is being mourned by his mother, sister, aunts, uncles and friends, she said.
Limited details of the shooting have been released by Kennewick police, but they have emphasized the importance of firearms safety as a top consideration for any gun owner.
“Educating our youth on gun safety and taking precautions to ensure juveniles don’t have access to firearms is critical,” said a statement by police. “For the increased safety of all communities it is essential anyone who owns firearms is practicing responsible gun ownership, including safe and secure storage.”
A release from Kennewick police on Friday said a Kennewick middle school student died overnight after being shot with a gun at a house on the 200 block of East Canyon Drive just before 5 p.m. Thursday.
The Benton County Coroner’s Office confirmed it was called to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland and that an autopsy is planned but police investigators are not releasing other information yet.
When the investigation is completed, information will be given to the Benton County prosecutor to review for possible charges, according to Kennewick police.
Joseph was visiting the Canyon Drive house, where other teens live.
Kennewick police determined there were three teens at the house when a gun was fired — two were 13 and one was 14. All were middle school students in Kennewick.
No one has been arrested and police are not looking for any other suspects, Kennewick police Commander Isaac Merkl said Friday. He could not confirm whether the shooting was accidental or on purpose.
A search of the house was done by Kennewick detectives on Thursday.
