Federal Way police chief addresses crime concerns after string of recent shootings

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — In four days last week, three people were shot in Federal Way, including two teens and a 37-year-old man who died, becoming the city's first murder victim of 2019.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office identified the homicide victim as Moises Vega Mendez and revealed he was shot in the head. Police said he was killed in a dispute with a stranger at a gas station along Southwest Dash Point Road Sunday.

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No arrests have been made.

On Wednesday, police said a 14-year-old girl was shot at an apartment complex on Southwest 320th Street near 18th Avenue. Federal Way police say 19-year-old Jerry Jones was arrested and charged for allegedly shooting the teen after firing a gun into a group of people who had gathered for a prearranged fight.

A 17-year-old boy was shot in the head in the Wild Waves parking lot Friday, according to police, who have not yet arrested his shooter.

Police Chief Andy Hwang addressed concerns about the recent violence in front of city leaders at a previously scheduled committee meeting Tuesday.

"It is unusual for us. It is concerning," said Hwang, in an interview with KIRO 7. "In terms of murders in our community, it's been relatively quiet."

>>Related: 14-year-old girl shot in Federal Way

Police said there was one murder reported in Federal Way last year, seven in 2017 and nine in 2016. The chief presented numbers at Tuesday's meeting that showed crimes, like robberies and aggravated assaults, trending down so far this year, compared to the same time in 2018.

Police said they've added emphasis patrols following Sunday's murder. The police chief declined to release more information about what may have started the dispute that led to the deadly shooting.

Cox Media Group