Man charged with shooting at 4 in Mountlake Terrace home

One man was shot in the neck, another in the head. Police are looking for the suspect, 22, of Everett.

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — Police are still looking for a suspect in a surprise attack earlier this month at a Mountlake Terrace apartment, where two men were shot, one in the neck and the other in the head.

Deguialin Babkino Valdez, 22, of Everett, was charged with four counts of first-degree assault Wednesday in Snohomish County Superior Court. Public records suggest he has ties to Whatcom and Snohomish counties.

So far, police do not know his whereabouts, Mountlake Terrace police Cmdr. Pat Lowe said. The court authorized a $200,000 warrant for his arrest.

The attack on April 18 appeared unprovoked, deputy prosecutor Michael Boska wrote.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Mountlake Terrace police officers responded to the apartment complex around 11:30 p.m. April 18. They found a man in a car parked outside the unit with a gunshot wound to the neck. Inside, another man was on the dining room floor, suffering from a gunshot to his head.

Both were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The man who was shot in the neck has been released. The other man underwent at least one surgery and was expected to need more. He was in critical condition and unable to talk to police about what happened. Authorities declined to provide more information about his injuries.

“There’s no indication he’s not going to survive this, as far as we can tell,” Lowe said.

Police talked with two other men at the apartment who were uninjured but also reportedly had a gun pointed at them. One said he was friends with Valdez and that Valdez had been staying with them at the apartment. They were hanging out earlier, drinking beer and having a good time, the friend reported.

When the group went to a bar, Valdez stayed behind, the friend reported. When they returned, Valdez allegedly jumped from the couch and began firing at them.

At first, the friend said, he didn’t realize Valdez was shooting a gun. He initially thought the man who was shot in the head was joking when he fell to the ground, according to charging papers.

Valdez kept firing, the friend reported, but missed. When Valdez ran out of bullets, he looked at the gun, said “empty,” and calmly walked out of the apartment, according to charges.

Police also interviewed the man who was shot in the neck, after he was released from Harborview. He reported he never made it inside the apartment, and that the defendant had pistol-whipped him and then apparently shot him. He said he didn’t realize at first he had been shot and thought the pain he felt was from being struck with the pistol.

Another roommate, who wasn’t there during the shooting, later returned from work. He reported to police that his .45-caliber handgun was missing from his bedroom. He recalled Valdez had asked if he could buy the gun. The roommate said he didn’t agree to sell the gun and he didn’t give Valdez permission to take the gun.

The man said he typically kept a magazine loaded with seven bullets next to the handgun.

Police noted bullet holes in the wall and collected five shell casings from the scene — three inside and two just outside the apartment.

None of the men knew why Valdez attacked, according to charging papers. They reported Valdez was known to use Xanax along with alcohol and marijuana, and that he may have mental health issues.

Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Everett Historic Theater owner Curtis Shriner inside the theater on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Historic Everett Theatre sale on horizon, future uncertain

With expected new ownership, events for July and August will be canceled. The schedule for the fall and beyond is unclear.

Contributed photo from Snohomish County Public Works
Snohomish County Public Works contractor crews have begun their summer 2016 paving work on 13 miles of roadway, primarily in the Monroe and Stanwood areas. This photo is an example of paving work from a previous summer. A new layer of asphalt is put down over the old.
Snohomish County plans to resurface about 76 miles of roads this summer

EVERETT – As part of its annual road maintenance and preservation program,… Continue reading

City of Everett Engineer Tom Hood, left, and City of Everett Engineer and Project Manager Dan Enrico, right, talks about the current Edgewater Bridge demolition on Friday, May 9, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
How do you get rid of a bridge? Everett engineers can explain.

Workers began dismantling the old Edgewater Bridge on May 2. The process could take one to two months, city engineers said.

Smoke from the Bolt Creek fire silhouettes a mountain ridge and trees just outside of Index on Sept. 12, 2022. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County will host two wildfire-preparedness meetings in May

Meetings will allow community members to learn wildfire mitigation strategies and connect with a variety of local and state agencies.

Helion's 6th fusion prototype, Trenta, on display on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Helion celebrates smoother path to fusion energy site approval

Helion CEO applauds legislation signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson expected to streamline site selection process.

Vehicles travel along Mukilteo Speedway on Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Mukilteo cameras go live to curb speeding on Speedway

Starting Friday, an automated traffic camera system will cover four blocks of Mukilteo Speedway. A 30-day warning period is in place.

Carli Brockman lets her daughter Carli, 2, help push her ballot into the ballot drop box on the Snohomish County Campus on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Here’s who filed for the primary election in Snohomish County

Positions with three or more candidates will go to voters Aug. 5 to determine final contenders for the Nov. 4 general election.

The Everett City Council on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett City Council approves apprenticeship ordinance

The new ordinance builds upon state law, requiring many city public works contracts to use at least 15% apprentice labor.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Stanwood in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Stanwood nears completion of deployable floodwall

The new floodwall will provide quick protection to the downtown area during flood conditions.

Cars drive along Cathcart Way next to the site of the proposed Eastview Village development that borders Little Cedars Elementary on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Former engineer: Snohomish County rushed plans for Eastview development

David Irwin cited red flags from the developers. After he resigned, the county approved the development that’s now stalled with an appeal

Steven M. Falk / The Philadelphia Inquirer / Tribune News Service
James Taylor plays Sunday and Monday at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville.
A&E Calendar for May 22

Send calendar submissions for print and online to features@heraldnet.com. To ensure your… Continue reading

Members of Washington State patrol salute the casket of slain trooper Chris Gadd during a memorial cremony on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Opening statements begin in trial of man charged in crash of WSP trooper

Deputy prosecutor described to jurors what began as a routine patrol for Christopher Gadd — “until it wasn’t.”

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.