Update on Kent shooting: Two more teenagers arrested

Update (29.7.)

Two new suspects are in custody in connection with a shooting in Kent that left a 13-year-old boy dead on July 16.

Kent Police Deputy Chief Jarod Kasner said officers located a 19-year-old and a 17-year-old at a Covington home on Thursday afternoon. Investigators said they negotiated briefly with both suspects before they left the home. They were arrested without incident.

“King County prosecutors requested that they be held in protective custody, and the court also found that each of them had reasonable grounds to believe they were guilty of murder and robbery,” Casey McNerthney of the King County District Attorney’s Office told KIRO Newsradio on Monday.

McNerthney said this type of gun violence is unfortunately all too common and occurs everywhere.

McNerthney: “We are seeing an increase in gun use”

“We’re seeing more robberies that end in death. We’re seeing more cases of road rage that result in fatal shootings. We’re seeing an increase in gun use in all forms, not just among youth but among adults as well,” McNerthney said.

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Selling online has become very popular and most people have bought or sold online before or know someone who has. It is a transaction full of uncertainties and potentially dangerous things.

“You never know who is on the other end, and you may be doing nothing wrong and a very tragic event can happen,” McNerthney said. “Never go to a meeting alone, and always arrange to meet in a crowded, public place.”

“While there is no way to compensate for the loss,” Kent Deputy Police Chief Jarod Kasner said of the 13-year-old’s family, “I hope today’s arrests, in addition to those last week, provide them with some measure of comfort.”

Original story (25.7.)

A suspect is in custody in connection with the shooting of a 13-year-old boy in Kent on July 16.

Just after 9 p.m. Tuesday, officers from the Kent Police Department (KPD) and firefighters from the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority were dispatched to the Kentwood Apartments, a complex at 22400 Benson Road, after receiving 911 calls that a man had been shot, according to a news release on the KPD’s Facebook page. Witnesses called to report that he had been shot in the stomach and was lying on the sidewalk.

According to court documents from the King County District Attorney’s Office (KCPAO), the 13-year-old, referred to as MS in the obtained court documents, was part of a group that accompanied an individual named IN who was selling a camera through OfferUp. IN, the documents say, arranged to meet with a man at Turnkey Park to sell the $1,850 camera.

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Shooting breaks out at camera sale in Kent

IN, MS, along with two other individuals identified as SL and ES, met with the man, who was accompanied by a second man. While IN was negotiating payment, a third man appeared and allegedly pulled a handgun from his sweatshirt. IN was pushed to the ground and his camera equipment was allegedly forcibly removed. IN then heard three to four gunshots and ran to hide.

When MS and ES saw the gun, they turned and ran to their ATV, court documents say. As they were getting into the ATV, they heard another shot from behind. MS got into the ATV as the driver, with ES sitting behind him. MS then told ES that he had been shot. The two drove off and saw the three men following them on foot.

Shortly after MS left the park, he lost consciousness, so ES took control of the vehicle, according to court documents. ES drove the ATV to the Kentwood Apartments and sought help from people standing outside. Someone called 911 and police and paramedics arrived. They attempted to save the boy, but he died at the scene, KPD reported.

According to court documents, investigators then obtained a search warrant for IN’s OfferUp account and found messages the man had sent that led to Southeast 275th Street in Kent. Investigators conducted surveillance of the area and saw a man exit the unit carrying the same backpack that was stolen from IN.

Valley SWAT makes arrest in connection with shooting

After an hour, the man returned and Valley SWAT officers surrounded the apartment, which the man voluntarily left and was arrested. According to court documents, search warrants were served and officers found the camera equipment in the apartment.

The man admitted to communicating through OfferUp and arranging the sale, according to police, and also admitted that three other suspects came to the sale. One of those suspects, he said, fired the gun at MS and ES

According to KCPAO, the man’s first hearing took place on July 19. The court found that there was reasonable suspicion of first-degree murder, attempted murder and first-degree robbery. The man’s bail was set at $2 million.

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In an email to KIRO Newsradio, prosecutors said they could file charges if a case is referred by police investigators and that such referrals typically occur after an initial hearing. Prosecutors expected to receive a referral of the case on Tuesday but have not provided any further information.

MyNorthwest will not disclose the names of suspects until formal charges have been filed against them.

James Lynch is a reporter at KIRO Newsradio. Read more of James’ stories here. Follow James on Xor send him an email here.

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X Here and send her an email here.

Contribute: Luke Duecy, KIRO Newsradio and Steve Coogan, MyNorthwest

This story was originally published on July 17, 2024. It has since been updated and republished.