Teenager’s shooting part of gang violence in south Everett

Published 1:30 am Saturday, October 15, 2016

EVERETT — A 15-year-old boy who was shot Monday evening is the brother of a 13-year-old who was hit by gunfire three weeks earlier outside the same W. Casino Road apartment.

Police say the shootings are part of gang-fueled violence that has been boiling over in south Everett.

The 15-year-old boy suffered life-threatening injuries and remains hospitalized in Seattle.

Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies arrested two Lynnwood-area brothers who may be connected to the gun used in the recent shootings. The brothers, ages 18 and 14, were booked on weapons charges Friday.

They are associated with a Hispanic gang that has been feuding with another gang for months. The 15-year-old who was shot on Monday and his younger brother are connected to an Asian gang that is friendly with the suspects’ rivals, Snohomish County sheriff’s detective Brad Walvatne wrote in an affidavit.

The 18-year-old who was arrested also is a suspect in another drive-by shooting in August. He is associated with another gang-related shooting on W. Casino Road in June.

Police sent out an “Officer Safety Bulletin” on Tuesday with information about the recent W. Casino Road shootings. The bulletin included information about the .380-caliber cartridge casings recovered at both crime scenes.

Based on the bulletin, a Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy contacted Walvatne later that day, saying that deputies were out at a location in the Lynnwood-area where they had recovered a .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun.

The suspects’ mother had found the gun in her vehicle.

Detectives interviewed the woman and her daughter. They told police the gun was found folded in a pair of pants in her van. They moved the gun and called 911.

Detectives learned that the 18-year-old had been searching the van after the gun had been moved. He allegedly told his 14-year-old brother, “The gun is gone.”

The older teen also allegedly was heard saying that the gun had been used in Monday’s shooting, court papers said.

He has a pending drug charge in juvenile court. He turned 18 on Tuesday. His 14-year-old brother has an assault conviction from last year. He struck another boy with a baseball bat, knocking him unconscious.

A judge on Friday set bail at $50,000 for the older teen. A juvenile court judge ordered the 14-year-old held on $5,000 cash-only bail.

“Due to the circumstances surrounding this case and the concern I have pertaining to the recent increase in gang violence in the area, I request that a significant/high bail be set,” Walvatne wrote. “I believe they both are a danger to society, and if they are left on the streets of this community, I believe additional violence is imminent and someone will end up being killed.”

Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.