The 38-year-old victim died from his injuries on April 15. The suspect, a 44-year-old man, remains in jail.
LYNNWOOD, Wash. — A 44-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of a Lynnwood man after what investigators say began as an argument inside a bar and escalated outside.
Joseph Raymond is accused of killing 38-year-old Meco’s O’Neal on April 10 outside Just Left Pub and Grill near 198th Street Southwest in Lynnwood.
According to charging documents, witnesses told police the two men were involved in a verbal disagreement inside the bar. One witness told officers that “both men raised their voices, but that seemed to her to be the end of the disagreement.”
But minutes later, another patron reported the men took the argument “out back.” Soon after, people at the bar heard two gunshots, court documents say.
Lynnwood police responded to the shooting just after 10 p.m. O’Neal was taken to a hospital, where he remained for five days before dying from his injuries April 15, according to his family.
Police say Raymond left the scene in a Ford F-150. Investigators were able to quickly identify him after, according to charging documents, he left his credit card at the bar. Officers learned his full name from the card and later arrested him in Marysville without incident.
“Violent crime like this doesn’t occur often in Lynnwood, but it does occur, and when it does, it is incredibly tragic and sad,” Cmdr. Joe Dickenson of the Lynnwood Police Department said. “Our heart goes out to the family and everyone affected. It’s just a terrible thing.”
Dickenson said investigators believe the violence stemmed from friction between two people inside the business before it turned deadly outside.
“This was tension between two people in an establishment that escalated to physical violence where somebody lost their life,” Dickenson said.
Police say detectives and patrol officers canvassed the area after the shooting and were able to quickly narrow in on a suspect.
“And then we sent detectives out — officers, we canvassed,” Dickenson said. “We had a rough idea of who the suspect was, and officers were quick to apprehend.”
Authorities have not publicly said what sparked the initial dispute.
O’Neal’s family has since begun raising money through a GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses and support his children.
According to a verified GoFundMe organized on behalf of his family, O’Neal was a devoted father, husband, youth soccer coach and mentor who had a deep impact on his community. Organizers say he was known for his kindness and for being a steady presence in the lives of neighborhood children.
“Meco’s O’Neal was a man who defined himself through his family and his community,” the fundraiser says. “Whether he was on the sidelines as a ‘soccer dad’ or on the field as a coach, Meco’s was a constant, positive presence — not just for his own children, but for every child in the neighborhood who needed a mentor.”
Raymond remains in custody. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Lynnwood police.
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