Months after Everett shooting, man dies from injuries

EVERETT — An 18-year-old man died Sunday from injuries suffered in an Everett shootout in April that ended with his brother arrested.

Zacharia Al-Buturky had been in the hospital since the April 26 shooting in the 9800 block of 18th Avenue W., according to an online fundraiser his family organized. The shooting left him paralyzed from the neck down and unable to breathe independently.

The King County Medical Examiner’s Office determined he died of complications of quadrapilegia and a gunshot wound to the neck. The medical examiner’s office classified his death as a homicide.

In text messages before the shooting, Zacharia Al-Buturky’s brother, Ahmed, had threatened a former friend, according to charging papers filed in Snohomish County Superior Court.

Around 11 a.m., Ahmed Al-Buturky, Zacharia Al-Buturky and a friend drove in a black Honda to the former friend’s home on 18th Avenue W. They got out of the car carrying guns, according to the charges. A woman inside the home opened fire on the trio. They returned fire, she told investigators.

In the shootout, Zacharia Al-Buturky was shot in the neck.

After the shooting, Ahmed Al-Buturky, now 28, fled. While police investigated, he called the former friend and could be heard yelling, “I’m going to (expletive) kill you,” according to court documents. Later that day, authorities arrested him in Lynnwood.

In calls while in jail, Ahmed Al-Buturky reportedly owned up to the shooting.

“It was my fault,” he said during one call, according to the charges.

In May, prosecutors charged Ahmed Al-Buturky, of Everett, with six counts of first-degree assault, one count of drive-by shooting and one count of unlawful firearm possession.

He has no felony convictions, but over a dozen misdemeanor violations, including one for domestic violence harassment that barred him from owning a gun, court records show.

He has remained in the Snohomish County Jail since his April 26 arrest. His bail is set at $200,000.

The online fundraiser described Zacharia Al-Buturky as an “active, motivated, and loving young man.”

“A typical day for him is to get off work and then come home and spend time with his mother and siblings,” the fundraiser stated. “Always the first one to step up and help with anything his mother needs help with. He takes pride in always being dependable for those closest to him. It is natural for Zacharia to lend a helping hand to those who need it. From loved ones to strangers he has never met before.”

Everett police continued investigating the shooting this week.

Jake Goldstein-Street: 425-339-3439; jake.goldstein-street@heraldnet.com; X: @GoldsteinStreet.