We have obtained the audio of the 9-1-1 call from the night of the Circle K store murders. Yakima Police say the suspect who killed three people at the Circle K store on East Nob Hill Blvd on January 24, spent about 30 minutes walking around and into the store before he fired shots.
We obtained the audio through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The details of the events that led up to the murders and the self-inflicted wounds of the suspect have been obtained by KIT News from public Yakima Police Department media releases.
OFFICERS FOUND THE SUSPECT IN THE AREA LONG BEFORE THE SHOOTING
Investigative reports say after officers arrived at the scene they started to view security video from the store. The reports say the officers found the suspect, 21-year-old Jarid Haddock hanging around the store beginning at 3:00 am until 3:30 am just before the shooting was reported.
The reports says:
“At 0300 hours, the suspect enters the store and walks to the back corner on the east side. He looks at his phone for a few moments, shops on an aisle, and then leaves making no purchases. He is in and out of the store in less than one minute. The suspect is seen a few other times walking by the front doors or around the property between 0300 and 0330.”
The actual shooting was reported at 3:31 am after police say the suspect followed two customers into the store. The suspect is seen entering the front doors with a black semi auto pistol raised and pointed in at Nikki and Roy, who were standing at hot food case. The suspect begins firing immediately on entry. Two victims fall to the ground as the suspect keeps firing. Police say he then re-loaded his pistol and fired again. “He is seen approaching both victims and firing additional rounds at them.” Haddock also killed a man in a vehicle outside the store.
WILL WE EVER KNOW THE MOTIVE BEHIND THE KILLINGS?
Yakima Police Chief Matthew Murray says they hope to find a reason behind the killings but at this point he says they have no idea and call it a random attack. Because it was a random attack Murray says there’s really no way to prevent another attack. He also says the way the shooting happened even a trained professional with a gun may not have been able to prevent the shooting. The victims have been identified as 54-year-old Jeffrey Howlett, 40-year-old Nikki Godfrey and 65-year-old Roy Knoeb Jr. Haddock eventually shot himself near the Target store in east Yakima.