Fatal jump from Everett apartment balcony followed alleged assault

Published 10:23 pm Friday, August 13, 2010

EVERETT — One man died and another was injured after a confrontation at a south Everett apartment complex early Friday morning, police said.

One of the men, in his late 20s, died after jumping from a second-story balcony, said Lt. Ted Olafson of the Everett Police Department.

The man apparently jumped to get away from an attacker. The man had suffered significant injuries before the jump at the Bluffs Apartments on West Casino Road near Evergreen Way, Olafson said.

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office plans an autopsy.

No one has been arrested but police believe the suspects and victims knew each other.

“This was not a random act,” Olafson said.

Another man, 20, was transported to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett where he was treated for injuries from the attack and later released.

The pair had been staying at an apartment in the large complex, which is across West Casino Road from a large church and daycare.

Names and hometowns of the men were not immediately available.

Police received a call for help around 3:15 a.m. but the location of the disturbance was not relayed accurately, Olafson said.

“There was a language barrier,” Olafson said.

A police officer found the man who jumped on the ground. Officers quickly determined the unit where the attack occurred.

Detectives obtained a warrant to search the apartment for evidence Friday.

The attack hit too close to home for Keith Carefoot, who lives in the apartment complex.

“That’s scary,” he said. “I’m just glad it was not our building.”

Police sirens are common in the Casino Road neighborhood, he said.

“I have lived for 35 years in this area,” Carefoot said. “I have never seen anything like this so close to me. My wife’s grandparents are trying to figure out a way for us to get out of here.”

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.