Police: Incidents of gunfire in Everett may be gang related

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, May 9, 2017

EVERETT — A south Everett apartment complex has become a frequent stop for police after gunshots disturbed tenants three times in the last week.

A Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office deputy pointed to active gang violence as the cause.

A Ford Taurus was shot at twice outside of the apartment complex in the 1000 block of 128th Street SW. Bullets knocked out a window and punctured a hole above the bumper, according to the sheriff’s office. Another bullet broke through a woman’s bedroom wall and lodged into her ceiling.

A teenage boy who lives in one of the units appears to have ties to a gang, deputies say. Someone reportedly has threatened to shoot him. Police said the gunfire may be a matter of gang rivalry.

“With gang violence on the rise, it should also be noted that many shootings are occurring” at this apartment complex, one deputy wrote in his report.

On May 2, a man called police after finding his car window broken. A bullet was on the floorboard in the back. He was staying at the time with his girlfriend, who lives at the complex, police said. Neighbors estimate the shooting happened between midnight and 1:30 a.m.

On Sunday, several people called 911 after hearing gunfire near the apartments. It was around 8:40 p.m. A man was getting out of his car near a fast food restaurant when he heard gunshots and ducked. He said it sounded like the shots were fired west of where he stood, in the direction of the apartments.

Another witness was parked along 128th Street SW at the time. She saw a man in his 20s with brown hair walk by her car and out of sight. She recalled to police that he was acting strangely. Shortly after, she heard gunshots and the man ran. Police said there is no evidence indicating this man could be the shooter. He was not seen with a gun.

Deputies swept the area. They found no spent casings or damage, according to the case report.

A deputy was called out to the apartment complex three hours later after another round of gunfire. A tenant showed him a bullet hole in her bedroom wall and ceiling. She was home at the time and counted three shots. The Ford Taurus that was shot at a few days prior was targeted again. This time, a bullet hit just above the fender.

Police found near the entrance to the apartments two cartridge casings, which appear to be from a 9mm handgun, according to the case report.

South Everett has been beset by gang-related shootings, including the 2015 murder of Anthony Camacho, 17. He was shot near 124th Street SW and 4th Place West, not far from Sunday’s gunfire. The shooting was said to be a result of an ongoing feud between four gangs. Three gang members, two of them teens at the time of the shooting, are serving prison sentences. Camacho was not in a gang, but he did spend time with people who were.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office anonymous tip line at 425-388-3845.

Caitlin Tompkins: 425-339-3192; ctompkins@heraldnet.com.