In the early morning hours of Wednesday, January 21, 2026, 49-year-old Arturo Serrato Martinez was found near a vehicle at the intersection of North Sixth Avenue and West Elm Street in Walla Walla, Washington, suffering from a fatal gunshot wound. Officers arrived about 2:25 a.m. after a 911 call reported an unconscious man. Despite life-saving efforts, Martinez was pronounced dead at the scene and the case was treated as a homicide.

Detectives canvassed the area and processed the scene. Investigators believe Martinez and his assailant did not know each other and that a chance encounter escalated after a verbal confrontation, culminating in the shooting. Within 48 hours, security camera footage and witness interviews led detectives to identify 27-year-old Jordan James Savage as the primary suspect. Savage was found sleeping in his vehicle at Columbia Park in Richland and taken into custody without incident after SWAT assisted.

Savage was booked in Walla Walla County Jail on one count of first-degree murder. Prosecutors say he purchased two 9mm handguns shortly before the incident, allegedly threatened an eyewitness at gunpoint, and that he told detectives he lives in his van and works for DoorDash. Bail was set at $2 million and a public defender was appointed. Does anyone have information about Martinez, his movements that night, or witnesses who saw the confrontation?