EDMONDS, Wash. — A 26-year-old Auburn woman has been arrested and released on her own recognizance in connection to the 2020 deadly shooting of a 7-Eleven clerk in Edmonds.
Nagendiram Kandasamy, 64, was killed on Feb. 21 while on the job at 7-Eleven. Surveillance store footage showed a suspect running into the store, jumping on the counter and pointing a weapon at Kandasamy before running out of the store. Nothing was stolen.
Kandasamy had been working another overnight shift at the Highway 99 7-Eleven. It was one of two jobs he worked, logging 60 to 80 hours per week to put his children through college.
The woman was booked into the Snohomish County Jail Wednesday for first-degree murder and attempted first-degree robbery.
She was linked to a white car seen leaving the scene by both traffic cameras and DNA.
After her arrest Wednesday, the woman admitted to being in the vehicle with the man suspected of shooting Kandasamy, according to court documents. She reportedly told investigators the man drove to the Edmonds 7-Eleven and that she saw him enter the store with a gun.
Prosecutors allege her boyfriend did the shooting while she drove the getaway car.
Edmonds police said the woman was previously taken into custody in the investigation in March 2020.
On March 15, 2020, police attempted to serve a search warrant at an Auburn residence after receiving a tip that the woman and an Enumclaw man were the suspects. The incident turned into an hours-long standoff with law enforcement, resulting in the pair's detainment as "persons of interest."
Edmonds police said the pair were released, lacking sufficient evidence and cooperation to continue detaining them in the investigation.
The suspect has a record of robberies.
At her bail hearing Thursday, it was made clear the suspect had "consistently failed to appear" in court after previous arrests. Still, the judge released her on a technicality with no bail, and prosecutors did not object.
Snohomish County Prosecutor Adam Cornell issued a statement saying, "At (Thursday's) hearing the court found probable cause. The standard of probable cause, which is required to set bail, is lesser than the standard required to file charges. Based on my office's understanding from the Edmonds Police Department that the investigation is ongoing, but that it was unlikely additional information would be received within the next 72 hours -- the time period in which we would have to file charges into District Court -- we could not object to the release of the suspect."
At the time of the February 2020 killing, Pastor Tim Oleson of Edmonds Lutheran Church led a vigil for community healing at his church.
Upon hearing news of the arrest, Oleson said, "My first honest reaction was one of surprise, because it has been two years. There is always an emptiness when things like that go unanswered."
Unsettling, but Oleson hopes the arrest will at least begin to help heal the family.
"I would hope that this happening would provide them the next step in that closure of grief whatever way, shape or form that may take for them," he said.
Investigators are also recommending charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm for the Enumclaw man. He is currently being held at the Pierce County Jail on unrelated charges.
"The cowardly act that took the life of Mr. Kandasamy left a profound impact on his family and our community. From its first moments, the women and men of Edmonds PD worked tirelessly towards putting this case together and taking a violent suspect off the street.," said Edmonds Police Chief Michelle Bennett. "These arrests and charges are not a conclusion, but they bring us closer to providing justice for the Kandasamy family."
If the public has any information on this case, please contact policetips@edmondswa.gov or tip line 425-771-0212.