Suspect in Kent Starbucks shooting claims victim raped her
Jul 16, 2014, 4:39 PM | Updated: 5:12 pm
A 24-year-old woman was ordered held on $1,000,000 bail Wednesday, accused of shooting a man in the face at point-blank range outside a Starbucks on Kent's East Hill. (Photo: Brandi Kruse/KIRO Radio)
(Photo: Brandi Kruse/KIRO Radio)
The woman suspected of shooting a man in the face as he entered a Starbucks on Kent’s East Hill Tuesday told her mother that the victim sexually assaulted her, according to court documents.
The suspect, a 24-year-old Tacoma woman, waived her first appearance in court at the King County Jail Wednesday.
Prosecutors called the shooting premeditated and said the woman showed no regard for the safety of those enjoying coffee inside the packed café at the time of the incident.
“The defendant suddenly pulled a pistol out of her purse, held it essentially point blank to the side of the victim’s face, and pulled the trigger,” said King County Deputy Prosecutor Ian Ith. “Her actions nearly killed this young man and endangered an unknown number of people around her in this very public location.”
The incident was caught on nearby surveillance video.
According to court documents, the woman fled the scene of the shooting and called her mother to explain what happened.
“She was upset and crying and told her mother she shot (the victim) because he raped her,” the documents read. “She told her mother the gun was in her car and she was going to turn herself in to the police.”
According to records, the defendant purchased a .45 caliber handgun in May 2013. A .45 caliber shell casing was recovered at the scene of the shooting.
While it is not clear if or when the alleged rape occurred, Ith said it is not a defense for her alleged actions.
“The victim demonstrated absolutely no immediate threat to the defendant whatsoever,” he said. “If the facts, as stated by the defendant’s mother are true, what it amounts to is essentially the defendant electing to take the law into her own hands and execute this man in front of a Starbucks in the middle of the day.
The victim, a 23-year-old male, remains at Harborview Medical Center in serious condition in the intensive care unit.
A judge found probable cause to hold the suspect for first-degree assault, although prosecutors could end up charging her with attempted murder.
She is being held on $1,000,000 bail.
