EVERETT — A Mukilteo man faces charges of attempted murder after being accused of shooting a stranger in the face and assaulting a witness outside of the Everett Gospel Mission in December.
The seemingly unprovoked attack was one of a string of apparently unrelated shootings that left one dead and four wounded within 24 hours.
In January, prosecutors charged Cesar David Camacho-Amezcua with first-degree assault, second-degree assault and unlawful firearm possession. Last week, they added another charge: attempted first-degree murder.
Around midnight Dec. 15, two men were standing near the dumpsters outside the Everett Gospel Mission at 3711 Smith Avenue when a BMW pulled into the alley, according to the charges filed in Snohomish County Superior Court.
Camacho-Amezcua, 30, exited the BMW, approached one of the men, and shot him in the face, prosecutors allege. The defendant’s gun appeared to jam, according to the charges. The man suffered a broken jaw from the shooting.
The suspect noticed the other man, and tried to shoot him, but the gun jammed again, according to court documents.
The two fought. Camacho-Amezcua knocked the man to the ground and pistol whipped him, court papers said.
“Why the (expletive) are you doing this?” the witness reportedly asked the assailant.
Camacho-Amezcua left in the BMW. The two men were strangers to the defendant, according to court documents.
Security footage reportedly showed the BMW with a distinct white mark on the front bumper, no license plates and tinted windows. Close to three hours after the shooting, police pulled over Camacho-Amezcua driving a dark BMW with a distinct white mark on the bumper.
The car belonged to Camacho-Amezcua’s girlfriend. Police later arrested her, alleging she was driving the BMW the night of the shooting. Detectives believe she drove her boyfriend to the homeless shelter at his request, according to court documents.
After the shooting and while driving on the freeway, the defendant reportedly threw a handgun out of the window, the charges say.
In January, the defendant’s girlfriend pleaded guilty to rendering criminal assistance.
Two days before the shooting, Camacho-Amezcua was released from prison. In May 2022, he pleaded guilty to unlawful firearm possession and possession of a controlled substance with intent to manufacture or deliver. He was on probation at the time of the December shooting.
Camacho-Amezcua was also sentenced to 1⅓ years in prison in 2019 for residential burglary.
Jonathan Tall: 425-339-3486; jonathan.tall@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @EDHJonTall.
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