SEATTLE — Editor's note: The above video on the shooting at Roxbury Lanes originally aired on June 2, 2023.
The suspect in a deadly shooting at a Seattle casino was allegedly targeting a man who had reported on him to police four years earlier, according to charging documents filed by the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
Omar Upham Jr. is accused of entering Roxbury Lanes casino and bowling alley on May 27 and shooting into a crowded room, striking three people. One man was shot in the back of the head and died from his injuries four days later. An employee of the casino was struck in the abdomen and sustained severe kidney and liver damage. The suspect's alleged target, another employee of the casino, was hit twice in the back.
The man Upham was allegedly trying to kill told police he believed the suspect was responsible for two other shootings in which he was targeted. Both his car and his mother's house were shot at in separate incidents; one on Nov. 5 and the other on March 24 respectively.
Upham was charged on Monday with one count of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
Surveillance video from the casino showed the suspect enter the business and approach his alleged target, who was seated at a podium midway between the front doors and the casino room, according to court documents. The video shows the suspect remove a handgun from his pocket and open fire on the intended victim.
Just before the suspect opened fire, the victim turned and ran into the casino room. The suspect ran after the intended victim, firing several rounds in his direction and hitting him twice. The suspect also struck two other victims in the process.
All three victims were taken to Harborview Medical Center, where one later died.
The manager of Roxbury Lanes told police that the suspect's alleged intended victim had just recently gotten out of prison and told him there were rumors that people were after him "for being a snitch."
That victim later spoke with police at the hospital and said he knew who the suspect was and that the suspect had tried to kill him before. The victim told police he and Upham were in prison together. The victim also said he had reported on Upham four years ago for being involved in a robbery.
Upham was released from prison in October 2022, a month before the shooting of the intended victim's car.
During a search of Upham's vehicle and place of residence, police found three guns, including one believed to be involved in the shooting at Roxbury Lanes, according to court documents.