EVERETT — A young felon who was forbidden from owning firearms was arrested Monday in connection with Saturday’s fatal shooting of a 17-year-old Everett boy.
Diego Tavares, 19, was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of first-degree murder. He was expected to make a first court appearance on Tuesday.
Tavares made headlines early this year when he confronted a woman in the parking lot at Alderwood mall and demanded her purse.
He picked the wrong victim: a former police officer, 60, who fought back and then gave chase.
The commotion caught the attention of three U.S. Marines who were at a nearby recruiting station. They detained Tavares until police arrived.
Tavares pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree theft. He was sentenced to two months in jail for the felony and admonished that he could not own or possess firearms.
He’s now suspected of shooting a teen in the head at a house party early Saturday morning.
The shooting occurred at a home in the 12300 block of Fourth Place W, just south of Everett, said Shari Ireton, a spokeswoman with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were dispatched around 3:30 a.m. Saturday after receiving 911 calls about a loud party and possible gunshots. Nothing was found.
About a half hour later, a man with a gunshot wound was dropped off at Swedish/Edmonds hospital. He was transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he died later in the day.
“A vehicle that was seen dropping off the victim at Swedish was later located by deputies at the residence where the shooting is believed to have occurred,” Ireton said. “Deputies observed what appeared to be blood in the interior of the vehicle. The suspect was identified, taken into custody and booked into the Snohomish County Jail this morning.”
Detectives are investigating whether gangs are somehow involved in Saturday’s shooting, Ireton said.
The victim’s identity was not immediately released by officials, but over the weekend, friends and family took to social media to mark his passing.
A candlelight vigil was staged Sunday for Anthony “Chino” Camacho.
Camacho was a student at ACES high school in the Mukilteo School District and was just a few days shy of turning 18, said his friend since childhood, Jessica Silva, 18. She organized Sunday’s vigil.
About 50 people attended and they raised more than $1,300 to help Camacho’s family pay for his funeral, Silva said.
Camacho’s friends and family are convinced his death was the result of his just being in the wrong place at the wrong time, she said.
He knew people who were involved in gangs, but he was not, Silva said.
“He just liked to hang out,” she said. “He was pretty much the one who kept everybody smiling. One thing everyone will remember is his smile.”
Camacho was dealing with the recent death of his mother, but expected to graduate this year, Silva said.
Court papers show Camacho had his own scrapes with the law, including juvenile arrests and prosecutions for tagging and weapons violations.
The gunfire early Saturday occurred in a part of the county that in recent months has seen violence involving young men, firearms and gangs.
In August, a 15-year-old was shot in the chest after rival gang members confronted each other at a stoplight on Fourth Avenue W. The boy injured in that incident allegedly obtained a handgun a couple of months later. He’s now accused of shooting his brother, 11, while messing around with the weapon early this month. The younger boy survived the bullet wound to his face.
Silva said Camacho knew the young man who was charged with the August shooting.
Scott North: 425-339-3431; north@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @snorthnews
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