EVERETT — A longtime felon whose street name is “Danger” is being sought by police for an Everett shooting that left a young woman paralyzed.
It appears that Jose “Danger” Espinoza Aguilar, 23, has earned his nickname.
This is the third time in as many years that he has been linked to a shooting in Snohomish County. Everett police issued a public bulletin Wednesday, asking for help finding him.
Before the bulletin, the police department had not publicly acknowledged the Jan. 11 shooting. It occurred at Langus Riverfront Park and reportedly was fueled by heroin.
The victim, a 21-year-old Snohomish woman, was dropped off at an Everett hospital’s emergency room, where staff called 911. Because of her medical condition, it took nearly a week to determine what had happened and where, officer Aaron Snell said
The woman was listed Wednesday in satisfactory condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Detectives have arrested one man believed to be involved.
The suspected shooter is Espinoza Aguilar. He is described by Everett detectives as an armed and dangerous career criminal.
Espinoza Aguilar recently spent time in prison for a weapons violation related to a fatal drug robbery.
He claimed self-defense after shooting and killing a man at a home on Colby Avenue.
Espinoza Aguilar also reportedly was seen at a property in the Meadowdale area before a robbery and killing occurred Nov. 28. No suspects have been identified in that homicide, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
In the Everett case from earlier this month, a 26-year-old man who goes by “George” is accused of bringing the Snohomish woman to the park, knowing violence was planned.
Espinoza Aguilar reportedly had accused the woman of stealing $2,000 worth of heroin from him, which she denied. Others told police that Espinoza Aguilar ordered a hit on her.
The woman was shot once in the back. The bullet remains lodged in her spine. She cannot stand or walk.
She was interviewed by detectives Jan. 17. She said she had asked “George” for a ride home from a casino. She said he told her they needed to stop in Everett.
She was suspicious, “but she’s known ‘George’ so she assumed he wouldn’t set her up,” detectives wrote in the arrest report.
When they stopped at the park, a blue Chevrolet Cobalt pulled up nearby. The woman said she recognized Espinoza Aguilar’s car because she had bought drugs from him before.
She said that Espinoza Aguilar punched her several times. She was shot as she tried to run away, and fell, unable to move her legs, she said. She said the group then drove her to the hospital.
Hospital surveillance video reportedly showed another woman grabbing a wheel chair, going back to the parking lot and then pushing the victim to the emergency room in the chair.
Anyone with information about Espinoza Aguilar is asked to call detectives at 425-257-8450. Tips can be anonymous.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @rikkiking.
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