A Renton grocery store altercation turned deadly, as a suspect fatally shot a man, prompting an hours long search.
RENTON, Wash. — A judge has found probable cause for a second-degree murder charge in the deadly shooting of a man inside a Renton grocery store — clearing the way for the case to move forward, as the suspect waived his first court appearance.
The shooting happened just after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday inside Los Jalapeños Grocery Store in Renton, according to police. Officers arrived to find a man shot multiple times inside the store. He did not survive.
The suspect did not appear in court Wednesday, waiving his first appearance. A judge reviewed the case and ruled there was probable cause to support a charge of second-degree murder. Bail is expected to be addressed at the suspect’s next court hearing on Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
Outside the grocery store Tuesday night, dozens of officers searched the surrounding neighborhood for the suspect, police said, after he fled the scene in an SUV.
Inside the store, an anonymous woman who was shopping at the time told KING 5 she watched the situation escalate — and says the experience has left her shaken.
“I don’t know if I can go there anytime soon, to the grocery store,” she said, speaking through a translator. She asked not to be identified.
According to the woman, the suspect had been arguing with customers and staff before the shooting
“The cashier was trying to calm him down,” she said. “Saying, ‘hey, let’s be respectful, try to calm down.’”
She told KING 5 the suspect was directing homophobic slurs toward people inside the store, and appeared to be looking for a reaction.
“He started pushing the man who got shot with that same kind of rant,” she said.
What began as a verbal confrontation soon turned physical, she said.
“The shooter was now physically kind of aggressive, putting his chest up onto him. So the guy pushed him away, punched him in the face,” she said. “The shooter fell back, hit his head and his back, and that’s when he became angry, got back up.”
The woman said she ran and hid behind store shelves. Moments later, she heard gunshots.
Renton police say surveillance video from inside the store details what happened.
“What we see on that video tape is a verbal altercation between the suspect and two people inside the grocery store. The victim then comes in; there’s another altercation which then erupts into a physical fight, and then the shooting happens,” Meeghan Black, a spokesperson for the Renton Police Department, said.
Police say the suspect fled in an SUV, prompting an hours-long search involving K-9 units and a helicopter.
“Our canine was out and was able to find a track,” Black said. “Guardian One was up making announcements.”
The suspect was eventually taken into custody at his home nearby, police said.
Black said the incident has understandably shaken the community and urged people to walk away from confrontations whenever possible.
“It is frightening for everyone,” she said. “When you are in an altercation, it is so much easier to walk away and go home safely than it is to engage.”
Because formal charges have not yet been filed, KING 5 is not naming the suspect.
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