{"id":8975,"date":"2026-04-14T01:12:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T01:12:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/suspect-arrested-after-two-fatally-shot-outside-packed-longview-event-hall\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T01:12:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T01:12:23","slug":"suspect-arrested-after-two-fatally-shot-outside-packed-longview-event-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/suspect-arrested-after-two-fatally-shot-outside-packed-longview-event-hall\/","title":{"rendered":"Suspect Arrested After Two Fatally Shot Outside Packed Longview Event Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A 49-year-old Washington man is behind bars after an April 11 shooting outside the AWPPW union hall in Longview left two people dead and sent a crowd of roughly 200 attendees scrambling for safety, authorities said.<\/p>\n<p>Andres Carrasco-Sanchez of nearby Kelso was booked into the Cowlitz County Jail on two counts of first-degree murder and is being held without bail. Police say the incident began just after 9 p.m. in the parking lot of the hall, a popular venue for weddings, quincea\u00f1eras and community fund-raisers.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"how-the-night-unfolded\">How the Night Unfolded<\/h2>\n<p>According to the Longview Police Department, patrol units were dispatched to the hall on a report of \u201cshots fired.\u201d When officers arrived they found two victims suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Both were pronounced dead at the scene; their names have not yet been released, pending family notification.<\/p>\n<p>While securing the area, officers noticed a sedan speeding away from the lot. A witness pointed to the car and told police the driver had been involved in the altercation. A pursuit ensued, winding through West Longview and back toward the city center.<\/p>\n<p>During the chase Carrasco-Sanchez allegedly threw a loaded 9 mm semiautomatic pistol from the window, police said. A K-9 officer later recovered the weapon in a roadside ditch. The suspect eventually circled back to the union hall, abandoned his vehicle and attempted to flee on foot before he was tackled and handcuffed.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"inside-the-venue-panic-amid-celebration\">Inside the Venue: Panic Amid Celebration<\/h2>\n<p>Event organizers estimate that about 200 guests were inside the hall for a private party when the gunfire erupted outside. Many initially mistook the pops for fireworks or balloons bursting, but screams from the parking lot quickly changed the mood.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Partygoers locked doors and turned off music while awaiting police instructions.<\/li>\n<li>Cell-phone video shows people crouching behind tables and shielding children.<\/li>\n<li>One DJ told local station KLTV he kept the lights low so the crowd would not present \u201ca target silhouette.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>No one inside the building was physically injured, but several guests were treated for anxiety-related symptoms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Longview Police Chief Robert Huiras praised the \u201ccalm cooperation\u201d of attendees, saying it \u201cprevented additional casualties and allowed our officers to focus on the suspect.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-we-know-and-dont-know-about-the-suspect\">What We Know\u2014and Don\u2019t Know\u2014About the Suspect<\/h2>\n<p>State court records list Carrasco-Sanchez\u2019s address in Kelso, three miles north of Longview. He has no prior felony convictions in Washington, though Oregon authorities confirmed an outstanding 2022 warrant for failure to appear on a misdemeanor harassment charge.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators have not disclosed a motive, nor have they clarified whether the suspect knew either victim. Toxicology results are pending, but police say there is no indication the shooting was gang-related. A search warrant for the suspect\u2019s vehicle and social-media accounts was executed Sunday morning; results remain sealed.<\/p>\n<p>Carrasco-Sanchez made a brief initial appearance Monday afternoon. Judge Gary Bashor set bail at \\$5 million and appointed a public defender after the defendant stated he could not afford private counsel. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 25.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"community-reacts-with-grief-and-calls-for-change\">Community Reacts with Grief and Calls for Change<\/h2>\n<p>The AWPPW Hall has served as a social hub in Cowlitz County since the 1950s. On Sunday, mourners placed flowers and candles at a makeshift memorial near the entrance. Local pastor Maria Alvarez led a vigil, urging city leaders to increase lighting and security cameras in private-event zones.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t have to worry about our kids getting shot while attending a birthday party,\u201d Alvarez told the crowd.<\/p>\n<p>Mayor MaryAlice Wallis announced that the city will form a task force to review permitting and safety protocols for large gatherings. Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page created to help the victims\u2019 families with funeral costs surpassed its \\$40,000 goal within 24 hours.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-happens-next\">What Happens Next<\/h2>\n<p>Longview detectives are asking anyone who left the scene without speaking to police to come forward. They are particularly interested in dash-cam or cell-phone footage from 8:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on April 11 along the pursuit route\u2014Oregon Way to 30th Avenue and back to the hall.<\/p>\n<p>If convicted as charged, Carrasco-Sanchez faces a minimum of 20 years and potentially life in prison under Washington\u2019s firearm enhancement statute.<\/p>\n<p>Chief Huiras emphasized that the investigation remains active. \u201cTwo people lost their lives in a place meant for celebration,\u201d he said. \u201cWe owe it to them and to this community to find out exactly why.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"frequently-asked-questions\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Have the victims been identified?<\/strong><br \/>\nNot publicly. Police are withholding names until relatives are notified and autopsies are complete.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Was the shooting random?<\/strong><br \/>\nInvestigators have not ruled out any motive, but they say there is no evidence the killer fired<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A 49-year-old Washington man is behind bars after an April 11 shooting outside the AWPPW union hall in Longview left two people dead and sent a crowd of roughly 200 attendees scrambling for safety, authorities said. Andres Carrasco-Sanchez of nearby Kelso was booked into the Cowlitz County Jail on&#8230;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3847,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8975"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8975\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}