Man charged with murder eight months after Kent baby was shot
Dec 21, 2015, 1:41 PM | Updated: 2:07 pm
Prosecutors have charged a Seattle gang member with murder for the death of a 1-year-old girl in April.
DeMartrae Leshawn Kime, 24, is charged with second-degree murder and two counts of assault, for the death of Malijha Grant. The baby was shot in the head while she sat in the backseat of her parent’s car in Kent. Kime is believed to be the “person primarily responsible” for the girl’s death, according to KIRO7.
Related: ‘Nobody deserves to lose a baby over gun violence’
KIRO7 also reports that the shooting that resulted in baby Malijha’s death was part of a feud that involved two cousins in rival gangs. Malijha is therefore related to both cousins and was a casualty of their fight.
Kime is also known as “Marty” and “YM.” There are three other people of interest allegedly related to the shooting who are currently in custody for unrelated crimes.
According to the investigation, surveillance cameras at a Brown Bear Carwash in Kent allegedly show the shooter waiting to spot and target the car, KIRO7 reports. The shooter then ran to meet the car at the Grant’s home nearby. Police believe this proves that the murder was premeditated. Police also believe that as many as two other suspects were involved in the shooting, and were actually targeting Malijha’s father, Matrice Grant. Eight shots were fired. Malijha was caught in the crossfire.
Kent police said that the shooters believed Matrice to be a member of a gang known as Deuce 8. Kime, and other people of interest, are believed to be part of a rival gang, Low Profile. Police believe the shooting is likely to have been in retaliation for the murder of John Williams, a Low Profile member, in Seattle a few weeks before the shooting of baby Malijha. Williams and Matrice are cousins.
Kime is currently in custody for an unrelated crime – unlawful possession of a firearm, according to court documents. He has a criminal history of robbery and assault, and has been indicted in Oregon for robbery.
After eight months, the investigation into the shooting continues with the assistance from the Kent Police Department, Seattle Police Department, King County Sheriff’s Office, the ATF, FBI, the King County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Criminal Intelligence Unit.
Anyone with further information about the shooting can call 253-856-5808 or 911. Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound is offering $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and charging of a suspect. Crime Stoppers can be reached at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
