Everett police probe shootings, rivalry between gangs

Published 1:30 am Monday, November 28, 2016

EVERETT — Police continue to investigate a gang-fueled shooting that left a 15-year-old with serious injuries.

The boy’s 13-year-old brother had been shot three weeks earlier outside the same W. Casino Road apartment. That case also remains open, Everett police officer Aaron Snell said.

“We are still investigating the case. We are working to develop probable cause to enact an arrest if possible,” Snell added.

The teens were associated with an Asian gang, police reported. That gang is friendly with two Hispanic gangs that are feuding with two other Hispanic gangs, detectives explained in court papers.

The beef between the gangs is believed to be the motivation for multiple shootings, including the homicide of 17-year-old Anthony Camacho. The teen was gunned down Dec. 12, 2015, outside a south Everett house. Two teens have pleaded guilty in connection with the killing. Another young man, the suspected shooter, is awaiting trial.

The same house was the target of a drive-by shooting in August. One shot shattered a front window and two others damaged the garage door. A vehicle parked outside also was hit. No one was hurt. Snohomish County sheriff’s detectives are investigating that shooting.

A month later, Everett detectives were called to the shooting of the 13-year-old. He and his brother, 15, were walking in the 800 block of W. Casino Road with two friends when they confronted two other young people, according to a search warrant. The suspect pulled a gun on the brothers and fired five rounds. The 13-year-old was struck in the arm.

During the investigation, police recovered .380-caliber casings and identified a possible suspect, a 14-year-old, according to court papers. The 13-year-old declined to cooperate with police.

His 15-year-old brother was walking with friends on Oct. 10 when a vehicle stopped in front of them and someone in the car fired at least two shots, detectives wrote in a search warrant. The victim was struck in the chest. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with life-threatening injuries.

Detectives recovered .380-caliber casings in the street, near where the suspect’s vehicle was spotted. Police also located evidence that suggested the young people with the victim fired back at the suspect’s car, court records said.

The next day police sent out an “Officer Safety Bulletin” with information about the 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 a sheriff’s detective that evening, saying that deputies were at a location in the Lynnwood-area where they had recovered a .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun.

A woman 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 the woman’s 18-year-old son 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 the Oct. 10 shooting, court papers said. The brothers are not believed to be suspects in the shootings. The teens are in the same gang as the suspects, police wrote.

The brothers were charged with illegal gun possession. The younger boy pleaded guilty last month and was sentenced to 28 days in juvenile detention and nine months of probation. He also was ordered to do 56 hours of community service.

His brother remains charged with second-degree unlawful gun possession. His trial is scheduled for next month.

Reaching young people before they get into gangs was the focus of a meeting last week with Everett police officers and officials with local schools, churches and nonprofits. An Everett police detective is available for group presentations about gangs, the group was told.

The police department needs cooperation from the community to intervene with young people and prevent them from falling into the gang lifestyle.

“We will do everything we can do to help solve it, but we can’t solve it all,” Everett police Sgt. John Zeka said.

Reporter Rikki King contributed to this story.

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