SHORELINE, Wash. — On the evening of May 18, calls for help were coming from Shoreline at Ballinger Homes, a place that offers subsidized housing for seniors and families. The sound of gunshots sent residents running.
Court documents share details from prosecutors who say 16-year-old Jaden Taylor, who lives at the Shoreline complex, had a gun pointed at a female's head. Another resident, 50-year-old BillyJo Perkins, was walking her dog when she saw what was happening and attempted to intervene.
Taylor allegedly responded by shooting Perkins three times at close range, three times. She died at the scene.
One of the bullets also hit a teenage boy who was standing nearby.
Investigators said Taylor took off but was identified in surveillance video and arrested late last week, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
"It is also a requirement under state law when you have circumstances like this that he be charged as an adult. So that is what happened here,” said Casey McNerthney, a spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Shoreline's most recent public safety report three homicides in 2022, and two last year.
In this most recent case, the allegations against the teenage defendant has led prosecutors to ask for Taylor to be held on $2 million bail.
"When you have evidence like this and allegations like this, we looked at it and pretty clearly thought that these charges were appropriate given on what we believe can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” said McNerthney.
Taylor is expected in King County Superior Court on June 6.