Washington State Patrol (WSP) troopers have arrested a suspect in connection with an early-morning drive-by shooting on SR 900 near May Valley Road, an incident investigators said could easily have turned deadly.
The shooting happened on July 22 at around 5 a.m., according to WSP Trooper Rick Johnson. The victim was driving eastbound on SR 900, coming out of the Renton city limits near Duvall Ave. N.E., in the area where two lanes merge into one. Johnson said another vehicle came up behind the victim’s car at high speed as the lanes narrowed. The victim told troopers he slowed down, hoping to allow the other driver to safely pass. Instead, the other vehicle ended up tailgating him closely. The victim continued east and turned onto 164th Ave. S.E. when he suddenly heard a gunshot and his rear window shattered.
Troopers later found a bullet fragment lodged in the back passenger seat headrest, along with the shattered glass from the rear window. Investigators also recovered at least one shell casing near the area where the shooting occurred. Johnson said the shooting posed an extreme risk, not only to the victim, but to anyone nearby.
“The danger is obviously bodily harm or death,” Johnson said. “You’re not only endangering the driver, you’re potentially endangering people who are living in the area or walking. There are businesses and houses everywhere.”
Despite the severity of the incident, no one was injured. Johnson noted that no one was sitting in the back passenger seat at the time, a detail he described as potentially life-saving.
“Thankfully, there’s no one in the back passenger seat that would have been in between the back window and that headrest,” Johnson said. “We’re thankful there’s no injuries, but we’re also thankful that we were able to hold the person that did this accountable.”
Detectives track down suspect in drive-by shooting
At the time of the shooting, troopers did not have a license plate for the suspect vehicle, only a limited description. However, the victim reported some distinctive features that set it apart from a typical light-colored car, including a white antenna and a black-and-white side mirror.
Detectives went back to the area around the time of the shooting, believing the suspect might be a commuter traveling a consistent route. Through that targeted canvassing and follow-up work, they located a vehicle that matched the victim’s description. Investigators then obtained search warrants and subpoenas for video surveillance in the area. That footage, Johnson said, helped confirm the car’s involvement in the shooting.
Following additional investigation, detectives secured an arrest warrant for the suspected driver. WSP’s SWAT team executed that warrant and arrested the suspect as he was leaving work last Friday.
During a search of the suspect’s vehicle, troopers found a 9mm Canik 55 semi-automatic handgun. It will be tested to determine whether it was the weapon used in the shooting.
Charges and public safety message
Johnson said the suspect now faces charges of drive-by shooting and assault in the second degree.
He emphasized the seriousness of firing a gun from a moving vehicle, regardless of whether the setting appears rural or less congested.
“It doesn’t matter,” Johnson said. “There are businesses and houses everywhere. It’s a horrible, horrible danger to fire weapons really indiscriminately for any reason in that situation.”
This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
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