BRYN MAWR-SKYWAY, Wash. — A 16-year-old is being charged as an adult for the fatal shooting of a 10-year-old girl in Skyway in May.
Derreon Johnson faces charges of second-degree murder and three counts of second-degree assault for the shooting on May 23. The state requested bail be set at $2 million.
On May 23, King County deputies responded to reports of a shooting at the Creston Point Apartments in the Skyway area. When they arrived they found the 10-year-old in bed, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. She was taken to Harborview Medical Center.
The girl died May 25. She was sleeping next to her two siblings when she was shot, her mother told police.
Deputies found 16 9mm casings along a walkway on the north side of the building, according to a statement of probable cause, and determined they were all fired by the same gun.
Surveillance video from the apartment complex show that a Kia Soul drove into the area about 15 minutes before the first 911 call. Six people were seen on foot. The shooting itself was not caught on video, but it does show the Kia's brake lights came on before it drove away. As the car left, a tree branch was seen falling, "indicating it had been clipped by a bullet."
The Kia was stolen about six hours earlier, investigators learned. It was found May 24 and processed for fingerprints.
Three juveniles were identified by fingerprints, one of whom later told police they were in the area to buy marijuana. There was a disagreement over the amount they purchased. As they sat in the vehicle, they saw a red laser pointed at them. As the juveniles put the car into drive, he heard several gunshots.
Witnesses eventually came forward and helped identify the alleged shooter, including one person who told police his friends had recently been in a shooting where they had shot at someone and hit a girl, according to probable cause documents.
On June 22, another shooting occurred at Creston Point. Video captured a male later identified as Johnson firing a handgun in the air. Investigators determined the bullets were fired from the same gun as that used on May 23.
A previous witness eventually consented to a recorded interview, identifying Johnson on social media accounts where he is seen posing with handguns. He also confirmed Johnson had said he fired the shots that hit the girl, according to probable cause documents.
On July 10, deputies served search warrants on two apartments. In one, they found two guns, one that had a red laser affixed to it.
Johnson and another person were arrested outside the apartment building for their alleged roles in shootings that occurred in June.
Johnson will be arraigned July 29.