A man fatally shot Friday night in a parking lot in east Vancouver was identified Wednesday as 20-year-old Josue Isac Lopez Padilla.
The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office said Lopez Padilla, of Vancouver, died of a gunshot wound to the pelvis. His death was ruled a homicide, meaning it resulted from another person’s deliberate action. The ruling does not make any judgments about criminal culpability.
The young man was one of six Clark County high school graduates The Columbian profiled in June. He was selected for his perseverance and determination to return to finish credits needed for his high school diploma.
The Vancouver Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit is investigating the shooting. The department has not announced an arrest.
Police had responded around 8:30 p.m. to 4931 N.E. 112th Ave., near a Shell gas station and convenience store, in the North Image neighborhood. A person had flagged down AMR personnel to report a man had been shot in the parking lot, according to a department news release.
He was taken to an area hospital before officers arrived. He later died at the hospital, the news release states.
Lopez Padilla graduated from Skyview High School, with plans to attend Clark College to study automotive technology. He was the second in his family to graduate high school. He told The Columbian he wanted to be an example for his siblings.
Eight years ago, he, his mother and siblings emigrated to the United States from Honduras in search of better opportunities. Once in Vancouver, he learned English and helped support his family’s landscaping business.
At Skyview High School, Lopez Padilla was part of an alternative program through the district’s Lieser Campus that allowed him to focus on one or two classes at a time. He was on track to graduate in 2019 when he got picked up by immigration officials and sent to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma after spraying graffiti.
He spent 18 months there with no educational opportunities and was released to his family in January. He re-enrolled at Skyview to finish the remaining credits needed to earn a diploma.
His family has established a GoFundMe page to help defray funeral costs. It can be found at https://gofund.me/3eeedae0.
