Man charged in Tukwila Costco parking lot murder pleads not guilty

The man accused of shooting 67-year-old Mingyuan Huang to death during a robbery last year outside a Tukwila Costco pleaded not guilty Thursday.

Authorities had to bring 20-year-old Salman Haji back to the U.S. from Kenya. His bail was set at $5 million.

The victim’s daughter spoke during court about the pain of losing her mother, according to Casey McNerthney, spokesperson with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

“That takes a lot of courage to do, to relive the difficulty of going through that. But the victim’s daughter thought it was important for the court to hear,” McNerthney said.

Police said the woman was shot and killed during a robbery committed by Haji and Ilyiss Abdi.

2 charged in Tukwila Costco parking lot murder

King County prosecutors announced charges in May 2024 against Haji, who was 19 at the time, and Abdi, who was 18, for the murder of Huang in January 2024.

Abdi was behind bars on $5,000,000 bail, but according to court documents, Haji had fled the country.

Court documents stated the two teens were in a stolen car and on a crime spree on January 26, 2024. They allegedly stole a car in Seattle and then tried to use stolen credit cards in Normandy Park. Then they drove to a crowded Costco parking lot and saw two elderly sisters loading their car. They jumped out and allegedly tried to rob the women, but when they resisted, Haji allegedly shot Huang once in the chest, while Abdi waited in the car. The two then sped off.

Huang died in the parking lot.

The shooting happened around 10:40 a.m., about 50 feet outside the front door of the store.

According to those close to the investigation, Huang had no prior connection to the shooter before the fatal encounter.

Following the shooting, police agencies all over Western Washington were on the lookout for the suspects and the vehicle they were driving.

“I think people wondered when they didn’t see a headline of an arrest right away, or a charge right away, if things were happening and they certainly were happening behind the scenes,” McNerthney said last year.

Court documents stated that less than a month later, Abdi was allegedly involved in another deadly incident. In that case, Abdi was charged with assault and firearm enhancement. He was previously convicted of attempted burglary.

This story was originally published on May 28, 2024. It has been updated and republished since then.

Contributing: Frank Lenzi, KIRO Newsradio

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