South Hill man shot to death in car near Puyallup identified by medical examiner

A 19-year-old man who died Saturday after he was fatally shot in a car near Puyallup was identified Monday by the medical examiner.

Wesley Jose Molinero Dominguez was killed near the 12600 block of 90th Avenue East, the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a news release. He died of a gunshot wound to the head, and his death was ruled a homicide.

No arrests have been made. Pierce County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Sgt. Darren Moss said the victim was found in a car stopped where 90th Avenue ends and turns into a trail that leads to a county facility. He said law enforcement initially suspected the shooting stemmed from a robbery, but the investigation is ongoing.

Deputies responded at about 6:47 p.m. after a 911 caller reported that her boyfriend had been shot. Deputies located the victim, and he died in an ambulance on the way to a local hospital.

Law enforcement searched the area with a police dog but did not find a shooting suspect.

A GoFundMe was started by the victim’s girlfriend to raise money for funeral costs. According to the fundraising page, Molinero Dominguez worked as a roofer, and the girlfriend wrote that he had a “beautiful smile.”

The killing was the first homicide the Sheriff’s Department was called to investigate this year and the fourth reported across Pierce County. At this time last year, the county had recorded 13 homicides.

Bucking national trend, Tacoma recorded its highest tally of homicides on record in 2022