SEATTLE — A 15-year-old accused of killing a 22-year-old man in Seattle's Mount Baker neighborhood could be tried as an adult.
The suspect was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. A judge will decide if the suspect will be tried as an adult at a juvenile decline hearing on Monday, June 24.
According to the Seattle Police Department, officers responded to reports of a shooting in the 3600 block of 34th Avenue South just after 2 a.m. Sunday, June 16. Arriving officers reportedly found a 22-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds to the neck and torso in the stairwell of an apartment complex.
According to probable cause court documents, the incident started at a party at the apartment. There, a girl was at the party and told the victim she invited her boyfriend, the suspected shooter. When he arrived, he was with another person and conversations heard led detectives to believe the suspect was angry or jealous the girl was at the party.
Witnesses recall hearing multiple shots as the group started to enter the building.
Security camera footage captured the suspect and another male running from the apartment toward a white Honda CR-V, the same car the suspect arrived in, according to court documents.
The suspect was arrested one day later when an officer with the Des Moines Police Department located the car and took him into custody. After a short foot pursuit, the suspect was taken to the Seattle Justice Center.
What is a juvenile decline hearing?
Prosecutors can request a discretionary decline in these situations:
- Youth who are 15 and older charged with a “serious violent offense,” including first or second-degree murder, homicide by abuse, first-degree manslaughter, first-degree assault, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree rape, first-degree assault of a child or an attempt to commit any of these crimes.
- Youth who are 14 or younger charged with first or second-degree murder.
- Youth of any age charged with custodial assault while serving a minimum juvenile sentence to age 21.
According to a guide by the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, a declination to adult court is a “person-based” decision, meaning a judge must consider the personal traits of the child in addition to the offense they’re accused of. At a decline hearing, a judge hears evidence from the defense and the prosecution and considers the multiple factors before making a final decision.
Watch KING 5's top stories playlist:
