SEATTLE — Federal investigators are renewing their appeal for information in the unsolved killing of federal prosecutor Tom Wales, who was shot at his Seattle home on Oct. 11, 2001. Nearly 25 years after the shooting, law enforcement officials are emphasizing that the investigation remains active and are highlighting a reward of up to $2.5 million for information leading to a conviction.
Wales was sitting at his desk directly below a window when a shooter in his backyard fired at him. Reports have suggested a lone male gunman was seen running from the scene.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd of the Western District of Washington pointed to the physical proximity required during the shooting, noting that the killer was in the backyard directly outside the window where Wales sat.
“You would have to be incredibly close,” Floyd said. “This was an incredibly personal, up close.”
Floyd added that investigators continue to look into potential leads and individuals connected to the case.
“It’s fair to say that we haven’t closed any avenues,” Floyd said. “We do have people of interest that we maintain an investigation toward. That doesn’t mean that there’s not a possibility we could be wrong and there’s something out there that we have not considered.”
FBI Seattle Field Office Special Agent in Charge Mike Herrington emphasized that federal agents are continuing work on the case.
“We’re not just sitting by waiting for the phone to ring,” Herrington said. “The people that are responsible for this should be concerned.”
Herrington noted that the passage of two and a half decades can create new opportunities for investigators to gather evidence.
“Relationships and allegiances change, facts that previously seemed immaterial assume greater significance,” Herrington said.
Amy Wales, the daughter of Tom Wales, issued a statement Friday reflecting on her father’s career and legacy while expressing hope that justice would be served.
“Although I have now lived more years without him than with him, I remain profoundly grateful for the time we had together,” she wrote.
Wales also commended her father’s commitment to civic engagement.
“…Tom Wales believed in the U.S. Constitution and the Rule of Law,” she wrote. “Throughout his career and community service, he pursued those ideals in their noblest form, without fear or favor. He may have even died for them.”
As a federal prosecutor, Wales never lost a case he tried, his daughter said. Aside from his professional career, Wales was a member of the Seattle Planning Commission and served on the Mayor’s Citizen Advisory Committee.
The federal government is offering a reward of up to $2.5 million for information leading to the conviction of the person responsible for the killing.
Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to contact the FBI.