EVERETT — Eighteen months after a near-deadly shooting in Henry M. Jackson Park, police arrested an Everett teen Tuesday on charges filed in adult Superior Court.
In November 2022, prosecutors charged the boy, now 18, with first-degree assault for allegedly shooting another 18-year-old a few months prior. On the day of the shooting, the defendant’s sister accused the other teen of sexually assaulting her, telling her brother to confront him, according to charges filed in Snohomish County Superior Court.
“You know what to do,” she reportedly told her brother.
The defendant was 16 at the time of the incident. State law allows an “automatic decline,” shifting the case from juvenile to adult Superior Court, due to the defendant’s age and the seriousness of the offense, Prosecutor’s Office Chief of Staff Michael Held said Thursday.
On Sept. 9, 2022, friends of the sister noticed on Snapchat’s map feature that the teen was in the 1600 block of Walnut Street, according to the charges.
Around 1 p.m., witnesses reported seeing a dark car drive up to Jackson Park, less than a mile away, charging papers say. The alleged shooter was in the car. He saw the teen, who was apparently waiting in the park for a friend. The young gunman got out of the passenger seat. Security footage caught audio of what came next, according to court documents.
“What’s up, fool?” the alleged shooter reportedly said.
The shooter immediately fired six shots, prosecutors wrote. Witnesses saw him flee south on Walnut Street.
Police found the boy on a bench near the playground with bullet wounds to his stomach, armpit and head, according to charging papers. Officers also found a .22-caliber bullet at the scene.
The injured teen was transported to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, where he underwent surgeries to treat his wounds. In the hospital, he identified the shooter through a series of school yearbook photos, according to investigators.
Friends of the sister told police the defendant was only supposed to beat the teen up, not shoot him, according to court records.
In an interview with investigators, the defendant’s mother claimed he was visiting his brother in Spokane at the time of the shooting, charging papers say. His father interjected, telling police they “would not be lying” for the defendant.
The young man was booked into the Snohomish County Jail on a warrant Tuesday, with bail set at $750,000, according to jail records. It was unclear how officers found him.
“Given (the alleged shooter’s) willingness to kill and do so in such a public forum, the State asserts he represents a clear risk to commit a violent offense in our community,” deputy prosecutor Adam Sturdivant wrote in court documents.
Court records suggested the alleged shooter did not have legal representation as of this week. He has no felony convictions.
Maya Tizon: 425-339-3434; maya.tizon@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @mayatizon.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
