Man sentenced to four years for shooting girlfriend’s cousin

EVERETT — A Lynnwood man who shot his girlfriend’s cousin while under investigation for another shooting was sentenced to four years in prison.

Most of that time is because Jacq Mitchell used a gun to commit the Aug. 8 assault. Court documents say Mitchell was beating his girlfriend with a pistol while she held their infant daughter. The woman’s cousin intervened and was shot twice for his efforts. The shooting happened about 15 feet away from where four children were playing on a trampoline.

Mitchell, 25, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault with a firearm and second-degree domestic violence assault.

Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Anita Farris earlier this month ordered the defendant to complete a state-certified batterer’s treatment program once he is released from prison.

His girlfriend requested that she be allowed to have contact with Mitchell. They have plans to marry, she said. Farris granted the woman’s request but ordered Mitchell not to have contact with the other victim for a decade.

Mitchell’s legal troubles are far from over.

The parents of a 7-year-old girl who was hit and killed last year while riding her scooter are suing Mitchell, alleging he was negligent and failed to yield to a pedestrian.

Mitchell also remains charged with second-degree assault for gunfire on Dec. 21, 2015, at a Mukilteo apartment building. He’s accused of shooting an unarmed man, fracturing his femur in six places.

Mitchell is scheduled to go to trial next month for that case. He told police he was acting in self defense.

The victim confronted Mitchell after seeing him enter the apartment of a man who Mitchell had allegedly beaten up in the past. Witnesses said the men “had words” and then gunfire rang out. Mitchell fled the apartment.

The victim had two gunshot wounds to his right thigh. His leg was broken in six places. He also had three gunshot wounds to his left thigh, including a through-and-through shot.

He told police there was a struggle for the gun and the first shot lodged in the ceiling. He said the second shot likely shattered his femur. Mitchell is accused of shooting the man twice more while he was on the ground.

During their investigation, Mukilteo police learned Mitchell was investigated for murder in Seattle. He also claimed self-defense in that case. King County prosecutors declined to file charges, claiming there wasn’t sufficient evidence to charge him with a crime.

Mitchell bailed out of jail the day after his arrest in connection with the Mukilteo shooting.

The investigation stalled in part because some of the witnesses were uncooperative. Prosecutors also had a hard time tracking down the victim once he was released from the hospital. They didn’t know if he would cooperate or if he could be found in time for a trial. It wasn’t until the man was booked in June for robbery that they were able to locate him.

In the meantime, Mitchell came under investigation in May 2016 for a crash that took the life of first-grader Maimuna Bayo. Mitchell struck the girl as she was riding her scooter in the roadway outside an apartment complex along 111th Street SE.

Snohomish County sheriff’s detectives concluded that there was no evidence that Mitchell could have prevented the accident. They didn’t find that he had acted with negligence.

The girl’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit in August. Three months after the crash, Mitchell was arrested after a lengthy standoff with a SWAT team. The Aug. 8 incident started at Walmart, where Mitchell assaulted his girlfriend in front of customers and her young children, according to court papers.

Police were told Mitchell grabbed the couple’s infant and drove off. His girlfriend followed him to her mother’s house, where he was screaming at her while holding their daughter. The woman’s cousin attempted to intervene and demanded Mitchell leave, according to court papers.

The dispute spiralled out of control. Witnesses told police Mitchell pulled a handgun and started beating his girlfriend with it while she was holding their baby. The woman’s cousin tried to break up the assault. He shoved Mitchell, who fired at the man. The victim was walking away when Mitchell started shooting.

The man was struck twice, including a gunshot wound to his calf. Mitchell’s girlfriend had multiple injuries, including cuts and bruises to her head, prosecutors wrote.

Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.