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Family members identify teen shot, killed in Burien

BURIEN, Wash. — Loved ones are remembering the young man shot and killed in Burien Thursday.

It’s the 13th murder investigation led by the King County Sheriff’s Office so far this year – a spike in gun violence that’s carried over from 2020.

Family members identify the 19-year-old killed as Martín Buenrostro López (An uncle previously said he was 20 years old, but immediate family said on Friday he was 19).

“Everybody knew him in the neighborhood, in the whole community. He had a whole bunch of friends. He was very private, but very caring,” said Ricardo Alejandro López, his younger brother.

Family members said Martín Buenrostro López was a hard worker who was studying for his real estate license.

He was just blocks away from home in Burien when he was shot and killed while inside a car.

He veered off the road and crashed through a fence into a yard at South 120th Street and Fifth Avenue South just before 2:30 p.m. Thursday.

The car had at least seven visible bullet holes - four in the windshield and three more in the back passenger window. There was no glass visible in the driver’s side window. So far – investigators have no information on any potential suspects.

It’s pretty frustrating because right now everyone is pretty much in the dark,” said Miguel Bautista Alejandre, a cousin.

Family members are coping by sharing stories of the good times.

“We were all wrestling, and then Martín hit the wall with his head and it just made a hole. We covered it with a poster,” Alejandre said laughing. “Then my uncle comes the next day and finds the hole,” he said.

A report from the King County Prosecutor’s Office on the first quarter of 2021 shows gun violence is continuing to soar this year, with deadly shootings up 36 percent, compared to the Q1 average over the previous four years (2017-2020).

The victims overwhelmingly are young – 18 to 24 years old.

“There is no community that’s not been touched by gun violence,” said Sgt. Tim Meyer of the King County Sheriff’s Office.

It’s a worsening issue that leaves families fractured.

“We couldn’t believe it. It’s such a hard thing to process in your head. Man. But all this love in the community - it’s showing a lot. That his life really mattered and it will continue to matter,” Alejandro López said.

A GoFundMe for Buenrostro López’s funeral expenses has already raised more than $13,000 as of Friday night.