KENT, Wash. — One suspect involved in the fatal shooting of a 13-year-old boy at a Kent park appeared in court Friday.
The shooting happened at Turnkey Park on Tuesday night. According to court documents, the 18-year-old suspect allegedly set up a meeting to buy a backpack full of camera gear from the victim through the OfferUp website.
The victim, 13-year-old Matthew Stavkoviy, went to the meeting with three other people. While he was negotiating the price with the suspect, acquaintances of the suspect came out of the park with a pistol and started firing, according to court documents. The suspect then reportedly grabbed the backpack from Stavkoviy and pushed him to the ground.
When Stavkoviy and his three friends saw the gun and heard the shots, they ran to their ATVs to get away. Stavkoviy was shot in the abdomen after he got on the vehicle.
The people the victim was with drove him to a nearby apartment complex for help. Multiple people called 911 and authorities responded within minutes. However, Stavkoviy died before they could get him to a hospital.
Law enforcement identified the suspect through the IP address used during the OfferUp exchange. After a brief stakeout, officials reported seeing the suspect leave the corresponding address with Stavkoyiv's camera bag and was arrested.
Police do not believe he was the one who pulled the trigger, but he faces charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and first-degree robbery. His bail is set at $2 million.
Under Washington state law, anyone who commits robbery in the first or second degree that results in the death of someone can be changed with first-degree murder.
It is unclear if anyone else has been arrested for the killing.