Ex-Washington police officer is on the run after killing ex-wife and girlfriend, officials say
SEATTLE — A former Washington state police officer who court documents say had a child with a teenage girl he met through a school resource program was on the run Tuesday after killing two people, including his ex-wife, who recently filed a protective order against him had received. authorities said.
The Washington State Patrol issued an alert late Monday that ex-Yakima officer Elias Huizar had fled with 1-year-old Roman Huizar. Huizar, 39, had a baby that age with the 17-year-old former student, who lived with him earlier this year, court records show. Authorities said Huizar may have been headed to Mexico.
The warning came after West Richland police responded to a shooting outside Wiley Elementary School Monday afternoon. Officers found 31-year-old Amber Rodriguez, Huizar’s ex-wife and the mother of their two sons, shot eight times near the school bus parking lot, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Monday in Benton County Superior Court .
Investigators went to Huizar’s home and found a second victim. The Washington State Patrol identified the victim as Huizar’s girlfriend, but police declined Tuesday to provide further information or confirm whether it was the teenage girl who had lived with him.
The former couple’s 9-year-old son told officers that “he saw his father, Elias Huizar, shoot his mother,” according to the documents. Rodriguez worked at the school, while Huizar had recently worked as a substitute teacher in the Richland School District, the district confirmed in a Facebook post Tuesday.
According to court documents earlier this year, Huizar met the girl as a school employee in Yakima. She was 11 when they met, and 15 when he got her pregnant, Rodriguez wrote when seeking a protective order against him.
The Yakima Police Department said in a Facebook post Tuesday that Huizar left the department in 2021 “after being disciplined.” No further information was provided.
In February, the teen reported to police that Huizar had sexually assaulted a 16-year-old friend who had passed out at their home. Huizar was accused of raping both the teen and her friend. He was released on bail pending trial, authorities said.
Rodriguez wrote in her petition for a protective order that her divorce from Huizar became final last year, and she was unaware he was dating the same teen he met as a deputy until he was accused of rape.
She said she feared for her children’s safety and would request a change to their parenting plan. She filed for a modification last Friday, court records show. The protective order was issued in February and would remain in effect for a year; under this he was not allowed to possess firearms.
The Richland School District said it terminated Huizar’s employment after his arrest in February. It said it received recommendations from the Yakima School District before hiring him in 2022 and that he passed background checks.
“We are extremely disheartened that information regarding Mr. Huizar’s past was not disclosed to us through the various processes we have established to vet RSD candidates for employment,” the district said. “It is expected that individuals applying to RSD will be candid and honest in their applications.”
Police say Huizar initially fled in a silver 2009 Toyota Corolla with Washington license plates CBZ4745.
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Thiessen reported from Anchorage, Alaska.