7th Tacoma Homicide of 2023: Yi Un Ortega
At around 11pm on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2023, 9-1-1 received calls of shots fired in the McKinley Hill neighborhood. When first responders arrived near the intersection of South 32nd and East F Street they found 43-year-old Yi Un Ortega laying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds. Though they tried to revive him he was pronounced dead on scene becoming Tacoma’s seventh homicide of 2023.
Yi Un Ortega or Lee, as many of his friends called him growing up was the sort of friend you could count on. From an early age he made sure that he was reliable. If you needed a shoulder to cry on or someone to have your back and you were friends with Lee, he had you covered.
Yi Un Ortega leaves behind a son and twin daughters, along with family and friends who will never forget his laugh or his generosity. He spent most of his career working in the HVAC field but had a interest in forensics. Though it was the kitchen where Yi felt the most creative. He loved to cook, especially Korean dishes that he’d often add his own spin to.
I could not find any information about the current status of this case. It would appear that even over a year later, it is still unsolved. If you have any information on this case, you are encouraged to contact Pierce County CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or the Tacoma Police Department at (253) 287-4455.
I can, of course, only share what my research finds about the victim. For a fuller picture of who he was, I rely on comments from friends and family. If you knew Yi Un Ortega and want to share thoughts or memories of him, please do so by clicking the link below.
- Jack Cameron
SCHEDULING NOTE:
TacomaStories will be taking a break for the month of July 2024.
I will continue covering homicides every Monday again beginning August 5, 2024.
My twin granddaughters dad. Unfortunately they still haven’t caught who did it. Justice for Yi (Lee)