Washington state father fatally shoots man ‘acting erratically’ at dog park

An armed father shot and killed a man at a Washington State dog park after he allegedly threatened the life of his child, authorities said.

The 28-year-old father opened fire at the man who was “acting erratically” near him and his young child at Randall Park dog park in Yakima, police said.

The man who was killed, identified by police as 22-year-old Daniel Ortega of Yakima, “attempted to endanger the life of the small child with his words and actions,” police said.

Police said the 28-year-old father asked Ortega to leave his family alone as he tried to leave the park. His attempts to verbally de-escalate the situation failed and the man shot Ortega with a legally owned firearm, killing him, police said.

After police interviewed multiple witnesses, the 28-year-old man, who is also from Yakima, was discharged after cooperating with detectives, cops said.

Police will forward their findings to the Yakima County prosecutors who will determine whether the shooter is charged with a crime.

Police have not said exactly what Ortega’s “erratic” behavior was, or what words or actions caused the man to believe he was endangering the life of the child. It’s also unclear if he was armed.

Ortega’s friend, Terrence Niles, told the Yakima Herald-Republic that Ortega struggled with mental health and homelessness. For a period in 2022, Niles said he went missing and nobody knew where he was.

“Was it justifiable? Or did my friend get killed for his mental stability?” Niles said. “We need more information about him supposedly putting the child in danger.“

“How do we get to this point? How does he end up dying all by himself?” he added.