The Renton Police Department’s investigation continues into the Labor Day drive-by shooting that resulted in the death of a 20-year-old woman in the Renton Highlands.
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the deceased woman as Merly Tahiry Herrera Moreno. According to a report from the medical examiner’s office, Moreno died as a result of a gunshot wound of the chest.
The medical examiner’s office identified Moreno’s death as a homicide.
“Detectives are still trying to locate video and evidence concerning the shooting,” Meeghan Black, a spokesperson for the Renton Police Department, stated in an email. “They have several leads that they are tracking down. It is very much an active investigation.”
Black stated no active threat to the community exists at the time.
“However, we would like to get the shooter in custody,” Black stated.
The Renton Police Department posted an updated photograph on Sept. 17 showing the surrounding area of the shooting, requesting public assistance in obtaining video footage from the area on Sept. 2.
“Please search your home surveillance video for anything suspicious between 11 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1, and 3 a.m. Monday, Sept. 2,” the department’s post asked community members.
According to the department’s initial coverage of the shooting, officers responded to a drive-by shooting just after 2 a.m. in the 600 block of Shelton Avenue Northeast. Officers located the woman after she left the site of the shooting in a vehicle, injured, prior to her death, in the 200 block of Sunset Boulevard North.
According to an email from Zoe Birkbeck, public information officer for the Renton Police Department, a bullet from the shooting struck the woman near the intersection of Northeast 6th Street and Shelton Avenue Northeast as she sat as a passenger in a black Toyota Prius.
The woman left the scene in the vehicle to find medical attention, flagging down Renton police officers in the 200 block of Sunset Boulevard North, Birkbeck stated. Officers attempted lifesaving measures prior to the woman dying as a result of her injuries.
The department stated they will continue to provide updates regarding the case.
“As soon as we have any updated information to release, we will post it,” Black stated.
