SNOHOMISH — A suspected gunman accused of shooting a Snohomish man three times Wednesday was out on bail and already facing child rape charges when the bullets began flying.

Terrance Lawson, 19, posted $100,000 bond in March, according to court papers. The case involves the abuse of an 11-year-old.

Snohomish police say a simmering dispute apparently triggered Wednesday’s shooting, which left another young man with serious injuries.

Snohomish police Cmdr. A. J. Bryant said words were exchanged earlier in the day between Lawson and the victim. A second suspect, Lawson’s girlfriend Lorene Saladini, 19, also was believed to be involved in the attack and threatened the victim, Bryant said.

Police say they have probable cause to arrest the suspects. Anyone with information is asked to call 911 and consider the pair armed and dangerous, Bryant said. The two have been dating for about five years and have been engaged for at least a year, according to their Facebook and MySpace profiles.

The shooting happened around 5 p.m. in a parking lot at the 1400 block of Pine Ave. The alleged gunman pulled up and fired several rounds, striking the victim three times. The suspect then got back into his vehicle and fled.

The identity of the man who was shot has not been released. Police say he is in his late teens or early 20s. He was listed in serious condition at a Seattle hospital where he was placed on a ventilator to help him breath, officials said.

Lawson already is facing charges of having sex with a 11-year-old between January 2009 and September 2010.

“These are extremely serious allegations,” Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Adam Cornell said Thursday.

He declined to provide any additional details.

Lawson has had several brushes with the law in recent years, but hasn’t served much time behind bars.

As a juvenile, he was convicted of attempted second-degree robbery and malicious mischief. In the latter case, he was accused of attacking a roommate and knocking him through a wall.

He also was charged in 2005 with carrying a dangerous weapon, a charge that was dropped after he completed a diversion program.

Drugs may be a factor in Wednesday’s shooting, Snohomish Police Chief John Turner said.

Police recently arrested nearly a dozen suspected drug traffickers in response to a surge of heroin-related crime in town.

The shooting was reported around 5:30 p.m. near the Christ the King Lutheran Church along Pine Avenue in Snohomish.

“The victim’s car was in the church parking lot, but we don’t know why at this point in time,” Turner said. “The church was not involved other than being the location where the incident occurred.”

Detectives obtained search warrants to examine the suspect’s and victim’s cars as well as a home along 20th Street and Bickford Avenue where Lawson is believed to live.

Officers surrounded the home right after the shooting. The Snohomish County SWAT team eventually went inside but determined the suspect wasn’t there.

A neighbor was arrested for investigation of obstructing police. The man, police say he’s 69, lives near the suspect’s mobile home.

He reportedly grew impatient with the police presence, according to a probable cause statement. He is accused of trying to get past the police perimeter to knock on the suspect’s door.

He told police he was going to take care of the situation himself and find out if anyone was inside.

Officers believe the man had been drinking, Turner said.

Gun violence has been rare in Snohomish, population 9,200.

It was the first reported shooting in the four years Turner has been Snohomish police chief.

Diana Hefley and Rikki King contributed to this story.

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

Help police

Information regarding shooting suspects Terrance Lawson and Lorene Saladini, both 19, can be shared with Snohomish police detectives Kendra Conley or Dave Fontenot at 360-568-0888.