Wild, unauthorized parties common at site of fatal shooting in Redmond
Jan 3, 2017, 6:18 AM
Residents believe people broke into a clubhouse on New Year's Eve and hosted a party where one many was fatally shot. (KIRO 7)
(KIRO 7)
A party at a Redmond apartment complex where a man was fatally shot on New Year’s Eve was not being hosted by one of the families who live there, neighbors believe.
The shooting happened after midnight on New Year’s Eve at “The Trails of Redmond,” just blocks from the Microsoft campus.
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“It’s all families and Microsoft workers and stuff like that,” Alexa McGhee, who lives at The Trails, said.
She says the late night parties in the complex’s clubhouse are rarely family events.
“People like this will just come here, break in, and think it’s OK to throw a party but they don’t even live here,” Alexa said.
That’s what she believes happened on New Year’s Eve when Redmond police say about 100 people were crammed into the clubhouse and set off the fire alarm.
“There wasn’t a fire — the firefighters believe that it’s likely individuals inside smoking set off the smoke detectors,” explained Becky Range with the Redmond Police Department.
While there, the firefighters heard a gunshot and asked for police reinforcement.
When officers arrived they found the body of a man—in his early 20s—outside the building.
Party-goers started to disperse, the gunman included.
We found fliers posted to social media advertising the New Year’s Eve “After Party”; the “hosts” say “bring your own bottles and weed,” 18 and over, ladies free, guys $2.
Alexa says there’s no way the hosts were there with permission.
“If they would have rented it out—the place, it’s not 24 hours so anyone who is here past—I don’t know what time, I think it’s like 11 or midnight—it’s closed technically,” she told us.
KIRO 7 called the leasing office to ask if any of the hosts are residents there we were told to contact the property management office in California, which was closed Monday.
Alexa says she feels safe in the complex, but not after hours in the clubhouse.
“I think they just need better security, especially if they know stuff like this has happened in the past, they should be patrolling the area a little more, especially on a holiday,” she concluded.
According to social media posts KIRO 7 found online, it appears some of the people who threw the party at The Trails hosted other parties in other locations the next day.
The medical examiner’s office hasn’t confirmed the identity of the man killed.
