Police said a teenager was fatally shot April 9 after a group of young men met in this parking lot at Rucker and Everett avenues to buy or trade guns. (Sue Misao / Herald file)

Police said a teenager was fatally shot April 9 after a group of young men met in this parking lot at Rucker and Everett avenues to buy or trade guns. (Sue Misao / Herald file)

2 teens arrested in deadly downtown Everett shooting

A third teen in their group died in a botched robbery of an under-the-table gun dealer, according to police.

EVERETT — Two teenagers have been arrested in an investigation of a downtown gun battle that left a Marysville teen dead.

One boy, 16, was arrested and charged this week in juvenile court. A second suspect, Angel Phoenix, 18, was booked into jail Thursday. They’re accused of committing an armed robbery on April 9 along with Tyverius Walburn, 18, who died after the targets of the robbery opened fire, according to police.

Walburn was the 16-year-old boy’s brother.

Many shots rang out around 2:35 p.m. that afternoon at the corner of Rucker and Everett avenues, near the Everett Public Library.

Bullets sprayed into cars, a house and a nearby business. Police arrived and saw about 15 shell casings on the ground, from 9mm and .45-caliber bullets — suggesting at least two shooters.

As officers swarmed the neighborhood, two wounded men were being dropped at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, about 1½ miles north. One of them was Walburn. He died of a gunshot wound to the chest.

A second young man suffered bullet wounds to his legs. He lived.

According to Everett police, Walburn was part of a group of young men who set up a deal over Snapchat to trade guns in a parking lot off Rucker Avenue. Police believe it was planned as a ripoff and that it was the second time the 16-year-old boy tried to rob a gun from the same under-the-table dealer. (The first time, he stole a .357-caliber pistol, according to police reports.)

The seller had waited 90 minutes in the parking lot with a friend — his “backup,” who would be wounded in the gunfire — when a green Honda rolled up, according to the wounded man’s report. The man told police that three young men jumped out. Two of them, he reported, were wielding guns and ordered the pair not to move.

They moved.

Both sides opened fire.

One of the robbers jumped a fence and ran off.

The others got back into the Honda and drove north to the hospital, where security cameras showed the two suspects with Walburn. Moments later, a neighbor saw an 18-year-old man she recognized, Phoenix, wearing a red bandanna and running through the neighborhood “like a crazy person,” court papers say.

The neighbor looked in her backyard and discovered a black backpack, according to police reports. Inside were a .45-caliber Glock and a .357-caliber pistol.

Police tracked down the 16-year-old suspect around 9 p.m. Wednesday at his home off 32nd Street NE in Marysville.

He was booked into the Denney Juvenile Justice Center, then charged with first-degree assault and first-degree robbery.

The boy was also charged with underage possession of marijuana, for an incident a week after the shooting, on April 16, when police pulled him over for failing to signal on Walnut Street. An officer wrote that as he approached the car, he was met with an obvious odor of marijuana, and after the vehicle was towed, police found a plastic baggie of “dabs,” as well as the remains of a blunt.

On that report, police noted, “The victim of this robbery has received threats from (the boy) and his co-suspect which have caused the victim of that incident to flee the state.”

Superior Court Judge Millie Judge set bail at $25,000.

Detectives arrested the second teen suspect around 5:30 p.m. Thursday at his north Everett home, a mile east of the scene of the shooting. Phoenix was booked into the Snohomish County Jail, and an Everett District Court judge set his bail Friday at $250,000.

In a police interview, Phoenix acknowledged it seemed odd that a gun dealer would set up a gun trade with someone who had just robbed him. Phoenix reportedly denied being part of a plan to commit a robbery on April 9. However, police wrote, several times in the interview, he did admit he was lying.

Caleb Hutton: 425-339-3454; chutton@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @snocaleb.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Vernon Streeter looks over the fence at the Skykomish Substation operated by Puget Sound Energy on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024 in Skykomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Doesn’t make any sense’: Skykomish residents decry increased outages

Community members are frustrated about power outages and a lack of communication from Puget Sound Energy.

Glacier Peak, elevation 10,541 feet, in the Glacier Peak Wilderness of Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest in Snohomish County, Washington. (Caleb Hutton / The Herald) 2019
2 years later, Glacier Peak seismometers delayed again

The U.S. Forest Service planned to install them in 2023. Now, officials are eyeing 2026.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson speaks at the Snohomish & Island County Labor Council champions dinner on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Ferguson, WA Democrats prepare for new era of showdowns with Trump

Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson and Attorney General-elect Nick Brown are readying their legal teams.

Benson Boone (Photo provided by AEG Presents)
Monroe’s Benson Boone snags Grammy nomination for Best New Artist

The Monroe High grad this year has opened for Taylor Swift and won an MTV Video Music Award.

Lynnwood
Lynnwood caregiver accused of $674K check fraud

Prosecutors allege Sheila Saluquen defrauded the elderly owner of a car dealership for over a year.

Deborah Rumbaugh
‘Very hostile work environment’: Stanwood-Camano school supe resigns

Superintendent Deborah Rumbaugh said Tuesday she’ll be gone at the end of the school year.

Snohomish County Superior Courthouse in Everett, Washington on February 8, 2022.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
WA court system outage means firearm sales on hold

Buyers must wait until the Washington State Patrol can access databases for background checks.

David Hope, a Everett AquaSox ticket holder since 1994, talks about the stadium proposal presented to the public during a community information session on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett residents voice support, concerns over AquaSox stadium

On Tuesday, the city presented potential plans for a new or renovated stadium and fielded questions.

A state Department of Transportation traffic camera from Highway 527 shows the aftermath of a school bus crash Wednesday afternoon on I-405. (Photo provided by the state Department of Transportation)
I-405 reopens after school bus crash blocked lanes in Bothell

The bus was carrying a girls soccer team from La Conner. No one on the bus was reported injured.

Flyers of support for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bob Ferguson. (Laurel Demkovich / Washington State Standard)
Somers, Liias among Snohomish County leaders on Ferguson transition team

Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson on Tuesday announced a 53-person team that will help with the transition from Gov. Jay Inslee.

The line for the Snohomish County Auditor’s Office extends around the Admin West building and onto Pacific Avenue Election Day as people wait for same-day registration, ballot issuance, and accessible voting services on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County voter turnout down from 2020

Meanwhile, local Republicans celebrated the national results. And Democrats applauded the local.

People board a bus at the Canyon Park Park & Ride Swift Green Line stop in Bothell, Washington on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Big changes ahead as Community Transit mulls $254M budget

As ridership increases, Community Transit is planning for more service, security and a lower-emission fleet.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.