One dead in shooting in Everett on Sunday morning

Everett police responded to a call Sunday that an elderly man in his 90s shot a man in his 40s. Police later confirmed that the 40-year-old man had died. It was reported, but not confirmed, that the men are related as grandfather and grandson.

The call came in before 10:15 a.m. in the 700 block of Madison Street in Everett. A SWAT team also responded and nearby houses were evacuated. Officers secured the area and tried to get in contact with the occupants of the house. When this failed, a window was opened and officers determined it was safe to enter. Officers found the deceased 40-year-old inside. The second man in his 90s was taken into custody.

Medics took the suspect to the hospital “as a precaution.”

Everett police had been called to the house at least once before and neighbors said the two men struggled to get along.

Police were the first to tell neighbor Art Carrick about the shooting.

“And I said, ‘Well, what happened?'” recalled Carrick. “And he said that the grandson was shot by the grandfather, dead.”

Carrick said the man’s grandson, who was in his 40s, moved in about a year ago. But their relationship was rocky.

“Police came and everything,” he said. “They had another altercation.”

Everett police spokesman Aaron Snell said they didn’t know what had precipitated the shooting.

“It’s so early in the investigation,” said Snell. “We don’t have a lot of information. We don’t know why this occurred so we will be working on that.”

The suspect’s neighbor said he was known to have guns.

“He was a hunter and stuff like that,” Carrick said. “And he kept a gun by his chair in there, a little revolver.”

Carrick said he isn’t surprised his neighbor is now suspected of shooting his grandson.

“Not really,” he said. “I mean, the way he talked at times. ‘I’ll use it (the gun), too.’ It wasn’t good. It was a bad situation. It shouldn’t have happened.”

Still Carrick doesn’t believe a man so frail should end up behind bars.

“I just don’t see any benefit to society charging him and putting him in jail,” he said.

That decision will be up to the Snohomish County prosecutor after the Snohomish County medical examiner determines the cause of death and identity of the man.

Once he is booked, the suspect will likely have his first court appearance on Tuesday.