Everett, Wash.
Published: Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Body found in car, one man arrested in Lynnwood

Neighbors near the crime scene express shock, concern

By Jackson Holtz
Herald Writer

 LYNNWOOD -- Early Tuesday, police found a man slumped over, fatally shot in a car.

Within a half hour, two other men who were believed to be in the car were detained by Snohomish County sheriff's deputies.

By 9 a.m., one of those men was arrested for investigation of first-degree murder, sheriff's spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said. The other was released.

All three men are believed to be in their 20s.

Detectives believe the violence erupted just before 2 a.m., Hover said.

"The three were in the car, shots were fired in the car," she said.

The driver was killed. He was not identified Tuesday.

The Snohomish County medical examiner was expected to conduct an autopsy.

The car crashed into a white fence that fronts the 266-unit Tamaron Ranch apartment complex in the 14500 block of Admiralty Way.

"Detectives are trying to determine what happened in the vehicle and the motivation behind the shooting," Hover said.

All three men knew each other. Their names and hometowns were not immediately available.

A firearm has been booked into evidence, Hover said. Detectives aren't releasing where they found the weapon or what type was used in the shooting.

Deputies were summoned to the area after someone called 911 to report the accident, Hover said.

Admiralty Way was closed for several hours near the shooting scene as police collected evidence.

On Tuesday morning, residents had to navigate around yellow police tape.

"Oh, my God," said Cristina Mandez, 23, who lives in the area with two young children. "I'm so scared. We've never seen anything like this so close."

Adrienne Mattson, 31, was walking her dog when she learned of the shooting near her apartment complex.

"I'm speechless," she said. "This is a low-cost neighborhood, but to the best of my knowledge we're not crime ridden or drug plagued."

Another neighbor, Tricia Braun, 34, said several neighbors have been working to start a block watch after a number of car thefts and vehicle prowls.

Early Tuesday, she heard sirens and went outside to see police swarming the area.

"It's worrisome," she said. "I almost feel that I want to move."

Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA