One victim of double homicide identified; neither had criminal ties

SEATTLE — Late Monday, KIRO 7 confirmed that 27-year old Ahmed Said was one of two men shot dead early Sunday.  According to the King County Medical Examiner's Office, Said died of "multiple gunshot wounds."

Said, and a 23-year-old man who has not been officially identified, were found dead in the 500 block of 29^th Avenue South in Seattle, near South King Street just after 2:30 a.m.  According to the Seattle Police Department,  neither Said nor the other man have criminal histories, and detectives do not believe the murders were gang-related.  According to the SPD "neither man is suspected of any wrongdoing."

Within hours of the shootings, 26-year-old Matalepuna Malu turned himself in to Seattle police. While Malu waived his right to appear in a Seattle courtroom on Monday, King County Superior Court Judge Anne Harper set Malu’s bail at $1 million on two counts of suspected murder in the first degree. Malu had support in court, including his mother, who told KIRO 7 she was at work when the murders occurred and knows nothing about whether her son was involved.

According to police reports, Malu’s brother was the one who encouraged Malu to turn himself in.  The police report reveals that Malu confessed over the phone to shooting a man in the face after an altercation early Sunday.  Malu reportedly told his brother that he was sure that man was dead, but later denied involvement when questioned by police.

Malu’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 4.

Meanwhile, at the request of Mayor Ed Murray, workers from Seattle City Light and the Seattle Department of Transportation plan to inspect the 500 block of 29^th Avenue South, where the murders occurred.  They'll be focusing on the tall trees that block out street lights.  Murray hopes the effort will make the area safer.

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