Authorities said roughly 200 people were inside the building when two people were killed in the parking lot.
LONGVIEW, Wash. — What had been a crowded family celebration inside a Longview event hall ended in violence late Saturday when two people were fatally shot outside the building and a suspect was arrested after a chase, according to police.
The shooting happened at about 10:45 p.m. at the AWPPW Hall on 15th Avenue, where police said around 200 people were inside for an event. A woman helping with decorations told local reporters it was a quinceañera, a detail that underscored how many families were gathered nearby when gunfire erupted in the parking lot. By Sunday, investigators had announced an arrest and murder allegations against a suspect, but many of the personal details that would explain the violence still had not been released.
Officers responding to the call found two people with critical gunshot wounds outside the hall, police said. Both victims died at the scene. At nearly the same time, officers identified a vehicle they believed was tied to the shooting and began a pursuit. Police said the chase traveled into West Longview, turning what began as a homicide scene into a wider nighttime search that pulled in a large response from law enforcement.
Authorities said the suspect threw a semiautomatic handgun from the vehicle during the pursuit. Officers later recovered the weapon, a detail likely to become central to the investigation as detectives work through forensic evidence and witness statements. Police said the chase ended in an unusual way: the suspect returned to the same AWPPW Hall parking lot where the shooting had happened, got out of the vehicle and tried to flee on foot. Officers then took him into custody.
Police identified the man as Andres Carrasco-Sanchez, 49, of Kelso. He was booked on two counts of first-degree murder. The names of the two people killed were not released Sunday, and investigators did not say whether they knew the suspect, whether the shooting grew out of an argument, or whether anyone at the celebration had prior warning that violence might break out. Police also did not say whether children or relatives leaving the event were in the immediate area when the shots were fired.
For residents who live near the hall, the scene was defined less by the shooting itself than by the fast buildup of police cars afterward. Cathy Gruchacz, who lives nearby, said she saw a line of law enforcement vehicles across the street. Robert Phillips, another neighbor, said the response looked so large it seemed as though every officer in town had arrived. Their remarks captured the disruption that spread beyond the hall as officers secured the scene, pursued the suspect and began documenting evidence.
The AWPPW Hall has long served as a gathering space, which made the setting especially notable in a case that appears to have unfolded just steps away from a private celebration. Police have said little about the moments before the shooting, and that leaves key questions unresolved. Investigators have not said how many shots were fired, whether there were multiple witnesses in the parking lot, or when they expect to release a fuller timeline. Those answers may emerge through probable cause documents or later statements from detectives and prosecutors.
By Sunday evening, the suspect was in jail and the scene had shifted from emergency response to evidence gathering. The next milestone in the case is expected to come through the court process and any further release of victim identities or investigative details.
Author note: Last updated April 13, 2026.