EVERETT — Two men are now charged with felonies for separate incidents four days apart at Everett Community College.
Tony James Carter, 25, is accused of firing a handgun on campus on April 4. Prosecutors this week charged him with unlawful gun possession. As a convicted felon, Carter is prohibited from having any firearms.
Prosecutors also have charged Tuan Lam Nguyen, 23, with second-degree assault with a deadly weapon. Nguyen is accused of threatening his former instructor with a knife April 8.
Both men were being held at the Snohomish County Jail.
The shooting happened on a Saturday morning. A campus security officer heard what sounded like a gunshot and spotted a man with a pistol in his hand running off campus, according to court records.
The security officer checked surveillance video and saw the suspect in and around the bushes near Jackson Hall on campus. Everett police officers arrived but were unable to locate the suspect. Officers were told that the campus was fairly empty but people were in Jackson Hall setting up for Pink Prom, a gay and lesbian dance, scheduled for later in the evening.
Officers located Carter a short distance away on Broadway. They arrested him and Carter declined to provide a statement. He did not have a gun on him at the time.
A day later an Everett police officer used a metal detector to locate a .40-caliber Smith and Wesson buried under a rotting two-by-four on the east side of Shuksan Hall. The loaded gun was booked into evidence to be tested for DNA and fingerprints.
Carter has a 2008 conviction for first-degree robbery.
Nguyen approached his former instructor who was about to begin class on April 8. He reportedly asked the instructor why he wanted to kill him. The instructor asked Nguyen if his comment had to do with his grade. Nguyen had received a B+ the previous quarter. The instructor told the man that his grade could be adjusted if he turned in a missing assignment, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Toni Montgomery wrote in charging papers.
Nguyen allegedly mumbled something about fate and pulled out a yellow kitchen knife. The instructor jumped back over a desk as Nguyen reportedly lunged at him.
Several students came forward and others called security. A college security officer was able to persuade Nguyen to relinquish the knife. He placed him in handcuffs. Everett police arrested Nguyen, who later allegedly said that the instructor was trying to kill him and he was acting in self-defense. He also reportedly told the officer he had smoked marijuana earlier in the day and someone “put something on the weed.”
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463, hefley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dianahefley
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