US police surround home in Washington state after three people shot dead

The Yakima Police Department said the “alleged homicide suspect is Jarid Haddock, a 21-year-old resident of Yakima County,” according to a Facebook post.

Road closures in the area early Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) are “linked to early morning homicides”, a police spokesman said.

SWAT was responding and authorities have drones over the area.

Tabitha Johnson, an employee of a nearby business, told CNN the area was locked down and police surrounded a house near the intersection of University Parkway and West Birchfield Road. Johnson said authorities had been there since before 9 a.m. local time.

The area police have cordoned off is about 4km east of where shots were fired earlier on Tuesday.

Murray told CNN the suspect walked into the ARCO/ampm gas station and “attempted to enter the lobby,” but discovered the doors were locked.

“He then walked across the street to Circle K,” Murray said. “As he walks into the store he pulls out his gun and there are two people getting food and he shoots them.” Both people died, Murray said.

The suspect then exited the store and shot another person, who also died.

Murray said the suspect walked back across the street to the ARCO/ampm gas station, shot into a car and drove off.

Police have not said who owns the car, but believe it may be the suspect. His whereabouts are unknown at this time.

The Biden administration is again calling on politicians to take action aimed at easing gun violence in the United States after a shooting erupted across the country last week.

On Monday (AEDT Tuesday), at least seven people were killed in two shootings in Half Moon Bay, Calif., a small coastal community in the San Francisco Bay Area. In Oakland, one person was shot and killed and seven others were injured.

The incident came after an 11th person succumbed to injuries sustained in the mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, as the city’s large Asian American community celebrated the Lunar New Year weekend.