An Amber Alert has been issued for 1-year-old Roman Huizar, taken by his father Elias Huizar in West Richland, Washington. Huizar is also accused of murdering his girlfriend and ex-wife. (Washington State Patrol)
A former cop is fleeing after allegedly murdering a woman outside a Washington state elementary school and another person at his home before taking his 1-year-old son, who is now the subject of an Amber Alert.
According to the West Richland Police Department, 39-year-old Elias Huizar shot a woman “on the grounds” of Wiley Elementary School shortly before 3:30 p.m. Monday as students were being dismissed. Cops responded and pronounced the woman, identified as Huizar’s ex-wife Amber Rodriguez, dead. Huizar fled the scene in either a Toyota Corolla with a Washington license plate of CBZ4745.
While West Richland police and other agencies were serving a search warrant at Huizar’s home, they discovered another deceased individual. The person was not identified by the police.
Huizar is “suspected of murdering his ex-wife and girlfriend,” as stated in an Amber Alert Amber Alert issued for Roman Huizar by the Washington state patrol. “A 1-year-old child is missing and may be headed to Mexico.”
Roman is reportedly Huizar’s son. Authorities have not publicly named the victims.
The shooting resulted in a chaotic situation at the school. Chris Worley informed the Tri-City Herald that he was in his backyard when he heard four or five gunshots.
“I thought it was someone hitting something with a hammer. It didn’t sound like a gun. Then a woman came flying out here before the cops even got here and started screaming that someone was shot,” he reportedly said.
School officials immediately ushered the students back inside to safety. No one else was injured.
Rodriguez was employed as a paraeducator at the school. The two got divorced in 2020, and she had obtained a protection order in February subsequent to Huizar being accused of sexually assaulting a teenager, according to the publication.
West Richland police state that investigators believe Huizar is armed, dangerous, and may commit further crimes.
Roman is 2 feet tall, 25 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Huizar is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair. He was last seen wearing a black hat, black long sleeved shirt, light bluejeans and black shoes. Anyone who sees Huizar should call 911. Huizar worked for the Yakima Police Department from 2009-2022. Huizar left the department for disciplinary reasons, the department mentioned. It did not disclose the nature of the discipline. Huizar subsequently worked as a substitute teacher at the Richland School District from February 2022 until his arrest in February.
In February, local outlets reported Huizar was charged with raping a sleeping 16-year-old girl. Pasco CBS affiliate KEPR, citing court documents, reported stated that when he was a cop with the Yakima Police, Huizar worked as a school resource officer at a middle school and met a girl, now 17, whom he considers his “girlfriend.” Police did not confirm if it’s the same person found dead Monday night.
Legal papers said he met the girl again when she was 15 and made her pregnant at 16. It’s not known if the baby is Roman. On Feb. 2, the girl and her 16-year-old friend drank at Huizar’s house. The friend got sick and the two girls fell asleep. The papers say the girlfriend woke up to Huizar sexually attacking her friend. The girls ran away and called the police. When officers went to his house, he locked himself in for two hours and tried to clean up evidence before they arrested him.
He was accused of second-degree rape and providing alcohol to minors. He also faces a third-degree rape charge for the relationship with the girl he impregnated. Huizar paid a $200,000 bail and remained free as the cases were ongoing.