A 33-year-old man was arrested Monday morning after allegedly walking into a building in Snohomish County and firing a shot at another person before running off and later calling 911 himself to surrender. The shooting happened around 9:45 a.m. in the 19500 block of 24th Avenue West, and the intended victim was not hit, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office.
As reported by KING5.com, the man entered the building, fired a single shot at another person, then ran from the scene and made it several blocks on foot before dialing 911 to turn himself in. Deputies took him into custody and he was booked into jail.
KING5 reported that the intended victim was not hit and that there was no ongoing threat to the public.
Jurisdiction Falls to County Deputies, Not City Police
Because the shooting happened outside Lynnwood's municipal boundary, it's deputies from the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office South Precinct, which covers 92 square miles of south Snohomish County, who patrol and respond to incidents in that area. Suspect self-surrender calls and active crime reports in the county, including this one, are routed through Snohomish County 911, the consolidated dispatch agency serving county law enforcement. Once booked, individuals facing felony charges in the county are typically held at the Snohomish County Jail in Everett until bail is posted or a judge or commissioner reviews probable cause and bail conditions.
What Charges Could Follow
Washington law draws a sharp line between assault charges depending on what prosecutors can prove about intent. Firing a weapon at a person with intent to inflict great bodily harm amounts to Assault in the First Degree under RCW 9A.36.011, a Class A felony that can carry up to life in prison and fines as high as $50,000. If prosecutors cannot establish that specific intent, the charge could instead fall under RCW 9A.36.021 as Assault in the Second Degree, a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. It remains unclear which charge, if any, will ultimately be filed against the man, along with his identity and what relationship, if any, he had with the intended victim.
A Recent Lynnwood Jewelry-Store Gun Incident
Earlier this month, an employee fired a handgun during an attempted smash-and-grab robbery at a jewelry store on 196th Street SW, as Hoodline reported in its piece on the jeweler fending off a truck-ramming robbery.
Despite that recent clustering of incidents, the broader crime trend in the county has moved in the opposite direction. Annual data from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, reported by HeraldNet, found violent crime across Snohomish County fell 5.4% in 2024 compared to the prior year, while homicides dropped 43.7%. Still, the back-to-back incidents near Lynnwood's commercial strips are likely to keep public safety concerns front of mind for local business owners even as countywide numbers trend down.
