EVERETT — A Bothell man now is facing a felony charge for his alleged role in a March 13 drug deal that ended in fatal gunfire.
Dustin Allan Bradshaw, 22, reportedly drove his black Honda Civic to an early morning meeting in an alley near Clark Park in Everett.
The plan was to sell about 1.5 pounds of marijuana, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Andrew Alsdorf said in court papers.
Near the center console in the car was a 9mm Glock handgun Bradshaw allegedly called his “problem solver.” In the trunk was an AK-47 assault-style rifle, Alsdorf wrote in Snohomish County Superior Court papers.
Police later recovered roughly four pounds of marijuana in and around the vehicle, plus nearly 200 doses of Xanax. The prescription pills are sometimes sold on the street as “hulks” because their green color reminds some people of the comic book superhero.
Alsdorf late last month charged Bradshaw with possession of a controlled substance with intent to manufacture or deliver. Trial is scheduled for July.
Meanwhile, court papers make clear that detectives are continuing to investigate the gunfire in hopes of providing prosecutors with information they need to make appropriate charging decisions for all of those involved.
Detectives have obtained phone records that demonstrate how the deal was arranged and by whom. The plan allegedly was for Bradshaw and a Kenmore man, 22, to sell about $3,000 worth of marijuana.
Violence erupted when the would-be buyers showed up, police were told.
Bradshaw reportedly was seated behind the wheel of his car at the meeting location when a young man approached and began wrestling with him through the window, trying to grab the car keys. Another climbed into the backseat, brandished a handgun, and began demanding that Bradshaw and his alleged partner in the drug operation surrender all that they had, police were told.
Bradshaw’s companion said he was pistol-whipped, leaving a cut to his head. Bradshaw also reported being struck.
“Though the defendant had access to a firearm between the seat and the center console, he did not reach for it. Instead, he decided to accelerate his vehicle and successfully broke free from the male in the window,” the prosecutor wrote.
Bradshaw said he drove off, but circled back after realizing that his companion and the person in the backseat were no longer in the car.
The Kenmore man later told officers that he’d fled with a duffel bag containing the marijuana. As he ran, he reported hearing someone in pursuit.
The man said he armed himself with a 9mm handgun in his waistband, turned and fired at least twice. He told police the person he shot was running toward him and pointing a handgun his direction, Alsdorf wrote.
The Kenmore man allegedly described shooting again as another person ran his way, also reportedly pointing a gun at him, the prosecutor said.
John Muhlstein, 18, died from a gunshot to the chest. Francisco Vazquez, who was 17 at the time, was shot in the abdomen.
Vazquez has since been charged as an adult with attempted first-degree robbery. He has substantial juvenile criminal history, and has been uncooperative with police, court papers say.
Detectives searched the area near the incident, including with a dog specially trained to locate firearms. They were unable to find the weapon Vazquez allegedly was carrying, Alsdorf wrote. A handgun was recovered lying near Muhlstein.
The Kenmore man who reportedly admits shooting the teens has not been charged. He was earlier arrested for investigation of drug trafficking, and released on $10,000 bail.
When he charged Bradshaw on April 26, Alsdorf wrote that the Kenmore man’s “explanation for the shootings could not be disproved by the physical evidence at the scene.”
On May 5, however, the prosecutor filed an affidavit making clear the shootings remain under investigation.
Among other things, detectives are awaiting the results of DNA testing from the handgun recovered near Muhlstein, something that could take weeks, the prosecutor wrote.
Depending on the results, “DNA evidence on the gun would tend to corroborate or refute the accounts” from Bradshaw and the Kenmore man, Alsdorf wrote.
Alsdorf filed his affidavit in support of a successful request that Vazquez’s trial on the attempted robbery be delayed until June.
The request was based partly on trial schedules, but “this continuance is also in the best interest of justice due to the need to balance the competing rights of all three co-defendants, along with the interests of the community and the decedent’s family,” the prosecutor wrote. “Granting this request will provide sufficient time for a full investigation and a deliberative charging decision in a case that involves the death of a very young man.”
Scott North: 425-339-3431; north@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @snorthnews.
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