EVERETT — A random invitation to join a neighborhood party turned into a deadly shooting, and a Boeing worker was arrested for investigation of murder, according to police reports filed in court Tuesday.
Two friends — a man and a woman in their late 20s — were walking through a neighborhood Sunday night in the 6500 block of Beverly Lane when resident Ryan Leenders, 35, invited them to come inside and join a party with his neighbors, Everett police said.
According to detectives, Leenders made unwanted sexual advances toward both of the invitees. The pair was beginning to leave when Leenders held them at gunpoint and demanded their belongings, according to a police report filed Tuesday in Everett District Court.
The man, 28, “stepped in front of (the woman) and was then shot three times by Leenders” in the chest and leg, the report said.
Neighbors heard screams and called 911.
An ambulance crew declared the wounded man dead at the scene. His name had not been officially released as of Tuesday evening.
Leenders exited the house without further incident.
The woman, 28, identified him as the shooter, and he was arrested for investigation of first-degree murder. Everett District Court Judge Anthony Howard found probable cause to hold him behind bars Tuesday and set bail at $1 million.
Leenders, a career Boeing machinist, was featured twice by The Seattle Times in 2016, in profiles about his shifting political views.
At first, Everett police reported the deceased man knew Leenders before the confrontation, but detectives now believe they were strangers until Sunday night.
Caleb Hutton: 425-339-3454; chutton@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @snocaleb.
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