An Amber Alert has been issued for the ex-police officer facing a rape charge suspected in two West Richland killings on Monday.
Washington State Patrol issued the alert for former Yakima officer Elias Huizar, 39, who is believed to have his 1-year-old son Roman Huizar with him. Investigators believe he may be fleeing to Mexico, according to the 9:55 p.m. alert.
The alert also identifies his victims as his ex-wife and girlfriend.
West Richland police identified Huizar as being the suspect in the shooting outside William Wiley Elementary School about 3:20 p.m. Monday as students were being released for the day. His ex-wife was a paraeducator at the school.
While serving a search warrant at his West Richland home, another person was found dead, according to a 8 p.m. news release.
Huizar was being investigated for raping a friend of his teenage girlfriend. He was also under investigation into whether his relationship with the teen girlfriend was legal. She was the mother of the 1-year-old, according to court documents. It is unclear if she was the second victim. She was not previously identified because of her age.
Investigators believe that Huizar is armed and considered dangerous, and is likely to commit more crimes, said an earlier news release.
Court documents show his ex-wife Amber Rodriguez filed last Friday for a change in custody for their two sons, ages 5 and 9. Rodriguez is listed on Wiley elementary's website as a paraeducator. It is unclear where the other two children are.
The school went into an immediate lockdown as parents were arriving to pick their kids up and as students were getting onto buses.
Parents were forced to abandon their cars in the parking lot and along the street as police officers converged on the school and began searching for Huizar.
West Richland resident Chris Worley told the Tri-City Herald he was in his backyard when he heard 4 to 5 gunshots.
"I thought it was someone hitting something with a hammer. It didn't sound like a gun. Then a woman came flying out here before the cops even got here and started screaming that someone was shot ... ," he said.
School staff rushed kids back into the school to keep them safe. Students on buses were taken back into the building.
Classes at Wiley Elementary are canceled Tuesday but all other Richland School District schools were scheduled to be open. However, state testing at the high schools was reportedly delayed until another day.
Court records show Huizar's home is on the same block as the school. It's unclear if it had been searched yet Monday evening because officials did not take questions at a brief news conference at Flat Top Park.
Officers from all over the Tri-Cities region responded to the shooting. Some surrounded the house and others began searching for his silver 2009 Toyota Corolla with license plate CBZ4745.
He is described as being 5-foot-6, 170 pounds. Anyone who sees the car or knows were he may be, is asked to call 911.
The Uvalde Foundation, a national nonprofit, is offering support and resources for victims and community members impacted. They have opened their 24 hour national school crisis response hotline to communities. Resources are available by calling 254-206-9089 or online chats.
Rodriguez and Huizar divorced in 2020 and she recently filed for a protection order after he was charged with raping a teenage girl, according to court documents.
Friday's hearing in Benton County Superior Court was for Rodriguez's request to modify their custody agreement after she filed for a protection order for her and the children.
It's unclear what the outcome of that case was, a hearing was set for May 14.
Rodriguez first filed for a protection order in early February after learning of his arrest on the rape charge, writing that she believed Huizar would harm her and their children, according to court documents.
She said Huizar has harassed her since their 2020 divorce and believed he is mentally and emotionally unstable, according to her statements in the request for the order.
She also wrote that Huizar owns guns.
Huizar rape charge
Huizar is a former Yakima police officer and school resource officer.
On Feb. 3 he was arrested and accused of raping a teenager in his West Richland home.
Investigators said he sexually assaulted the unconscious house guest after a night of drinking with his 17-year-old girlfriend and the teen, according to court documents.
Huizar worked for the Yakima Police Department between 2014 and 2022 but it's not clear where he'd been working since he left the department. He was arrested after his girlfriend allegedly caught him assaulting the teen.
The two teens left in Huizar's truck and drove west until they found a Benton County sheriff's deputy parked in Benton City.
The girlfriend also took her and Huizar's 9-month-old baby. When West Richland police went to his home on Highlands Boulevard, he refused to open the door and they forced their way into the house.
Detectives are investigating if Huizar's girlfriend was of legal age when she became pregnant.
Huizar posted $200,000 bail that evening and was released from the Benton County jail.
He was ordered to surrender his passport, not to drink alcohol and not to contact his girlfriend or the other teen.
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