Father shoots, kills ‘erratic’ man at dog park to protect his young child, police say

YAKIMA, Wash. (Gray News) – A father shot and killed a man in self defense who was threatening his child at a park in Washington state, according to police.

The Yakima Police Department said multiple people at the Randall Park dog park called 911 on Sunday afternoon to report an erratic person.

Police said the man, later identified as 22-year-old Daniel Ortega, “attempted to endanger the life of a small child with his words and actions.”

The child’s 28-year-old father attempted to de-escalate the situation with verbal commands. When that failed, the father discharged his legally owned firearm at Ortega, killing him, police said.

Yakima police said multiple witnesses at the park told the same story about what happened. The father was released from custody after cooperating with detectives.

The case will be turned over to the Yakima County Prosecutor’s Office for a formal decision.