Charges: Man threatened to kill his family before shootout

Published 1:30 am Monday, July 1, 2019

EVERETT — A man reportedly said he was going to kill his son when he showed up at his parents’ house in Everett last month and got in a shootout with his stepfather.

He allegedly brought with him a collection of guns, according to charging papers recently filed in Snohomish County Superior Court. In his truck, Everett police reportedly found a 12-gauge shotgun, a 44-caliber revolver and two 22-caliber handguns.

They believe he brought a fifth firearm, a 380-caliber handgun, into the home May 28. While the gun wasn’t found, ammunition inside the truck matched casings at the scene of the shooting, prosecutors wrote.

The man, 52, was charged last week in Snohomish County Superior Court with first- and second-degree assault, as well as burglary. His bail was raised to $500,000.

Prosecutors wrote that new evidence and witness statements “reveal the defendant’s deep rage with a multitude of individuals to include his mother, stepfather, son, and other individuals.” That, combined with his willingness to threaten and use deadly force, as well as his apparent mental instability, justified the higher bail to keep him in custody.

An Everett District Court judge initially set bail to $250,000.

Charging papers said the man entered the home in the 2700 block of Larlin Drive through the back door. He threw a children’s board game against the wall, then allegedly pointed a handgun at his stepfather, and ordered him to get onto the ground.

According to the parents, the man said he came because he allegedly wanted to find and kill his son.

The man told his parents he was going to kill them, too, prosecutors wrote.

He appeared to be in the midst of a mental health crisis, his parents told police. He reportedly made claims that didn’t make sense to them. He asked about people they didn’t know. He said they were hiding money from him, that his identity was being stolen, and that his biological mother adopted him and others without saying so.

He allegedly kicked his stepfather in the ribs, and pistol-whipped his mother in the face, according to charging papers.

“You’re gonna die,” he reportedly told them.

The father escaped to the bedroom, where he retrieved a gun. The two exchanged gunfire through the hallway, court papers said. The father said he had fired all five shots as he chased his son out of the house.

The father was transported to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, where surgery was performed on his leg. His femur had been shattered, according to court documents, and he was expected to face a lengthy recovery time.

The son had driven himself to the same hospital, with two gunshot wounds in his right shoulder and armpit. An officer heard the man telling medical staff that he didn’t do anything wrong, and wondering aloud why he had been shot, prosecutors wrote.

The officer said the man appeared to be playing possum, opening his eyes slightly to see where police were and quickly closing them and pretending to be asleep.

In the surgery room, the man reportedly claimed that his son stole his identity and that he was shot for “uncovering too much,” according to charging documents.

Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.