Seattle shooting charges: Bullets that killed 2 not from 15-year-old’s ghost gun
Ballistic testing indicates that the ghost gun found on a 15-year-old suspect was not responsible for the deaths of two bystanders during a Seattle shooting. Prosecutors are currently seeking to move the teenager's case to adult court as the investigation into the gang-related shootout continues.
Why it matters
The case highlights the complexities of prosecuting juvenile offenders in violent crimes and the challenges of tracing 'ghost guns' in criminal investigations.
Ballistic evidence shows that four handguns were involved in the gunfight at Seattle Center on Sunday, but testing on bullets removed from two bystanders during their autopsies appears to exclude the Polymer80 9-mm ghost gun found in the possession of a 15-year-old boy, the only suspected shooter arrested at the scene, according to King County prosecutors.
Following his Sunday arrest, Seattle police officers reportedly heard the 15-year-old say, “Love you, bro,” as he walked past the body of 19-year-old Junior Niko-Semo, one of three people killed in Sunday’s early evening violence on the last day of the annual Bite of Seattle food festival.
Though the investigation is ongoing, charges filed Wednesday against the 15-year-old offer a few more details about the gunfight that injured at least four other people. While Seattle police have said they believe the shootout was gang-related, the charges don’t mention anyone’s suspected gang affiliations.
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