Elmer Salazar Rojas, 19, was fatally shot in the late hours of May 18, 2024, in the parking lot of the El Muchacho Alegre restaurant in Renton, Washington. The shooting followed an earlier attack on his half-brother, a musician who had been performing at the restaurant and was beaten by a group of men after declining to play more songs. The half-brother suffered multiple facial fractures and had his driver’s license stolen; an assailant threatened him for contacting police.

After witnessing that assault, Elmer Salazar Rojas drove his car toward the group, turned around, then drove back; someone in the group opened fire. Officers found Rojas in his vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds; he died at the scene. The King County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide by gunshot wounds. The suspects fled in a silver 2010 Toyota Sequoia with heavy front-end and driver-side damage.

King County prosecutors declined to file charges against the suspected shooter, citing self-defense. Separately, Renton police identified one suspect in the earlier assault, 35-year-old Juan Ayon-Gonzalez, and a warrant was issued charging him with second-degree assault. Anyone who witnessed the events at the restaurant or the parking lot that night is asked to come forward with information?