Arrest made in WA deadly shooting of Coast Guard member Connor Overstreet

KING COUNTY, Wash. - Authorities announced the arrest of a suspect in connection with the shooting death of 29-year-old U.S. Coast Guard member Connor Overstreet.

On Oct. 1, King County Sheriff's detectives and the TAC 30 SWAT Team arrested 18-year-old Isaiah Altre Bolar at a home in Covington. He is accused in the Aug. 23 killing that occurred near South 124th Street and South Langston Road in Skyway. Prosecutors allege Bolar either fired the fatal shot or assisted or encouraged the person who did.

Man arrested in WA for murder of US Coast Guard rescue pilot

The backstory:

King County sheriff’s deputies were called to the Skyway shooting at about 12:43 a.m. on Aug. 23 and found Overstreet suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest.

Overstreet was with two friends who were riding Lime scooters south on South Langston Road when people inside a passing Toyota Prius yelled at them, investigators said.

After an exchange of words, the Prius made a U-turn and stopped for approximately five to 10 seconds. Overstreet approached the car and bent toward its front passenger window.

Overstreet's friend told detectives he then saw a muzzle flash as a single shot was fired from inside the Prius, striking Overstreet. The car sped away.

He was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:57 a.m.

An autopsy later determined Overstreet suffered a single gunshot wound to his upper-left chest. The bullet struck his lungs and an artery before lodging in his back, according to the probable cause statement.

Investigators said the bullet’s trajectory was consistent with the witness account that Overstreet was bending toward the passenger window when he was shot.

Detectives collected surveillance video from a nearby home, a King County Metro bus and several businesses as they attempted to identify the car.

Investigators said the video showed a dark-colored sedan making movements consistent with a U-turn. At about 12:42 a.m., the recording captured a sound consistent with a gunshot followed by the vehicle speeding north.

Detectives then used additional surveillance footage to track what they believed was the same vehicle through the area and onto southbound State Route 167.

The vehicle’s lighting and distinctive wheel rims were consistent across the recordings, investigators said. The information was entered into the Flock Safety camera system.

Police had determined the Prius had previously been reported stolen in connection with a May armed robbery investigated by Seattle police.

Dig deeper:

Two days later, Kent police got a hit on a Flock camera and pursued a dark-colored Toyota Prius. According to court documents, Bolar was driving the Prius when it sped off at speeds up to 100 mph, almost causing a collision. Bolar was arrested after he drove the Prius down a dead end road.

He told deputies the vehicle belonged to his cousin Donald, but he couldn't remember his cousin's last name. Officers say a passenger that was in the Prius had jumped out during the pursuit with a backpack. The passenger told investigators Bolar had pushed the backpack into his chest and told him, "Take this," according to the probable cause statement. He dumped it in a garbage can. Officers recovered the backpack and located a black Ruger .357 6-shot revolver with five live rounds and one empty chamber.

Detectives later obtained a warrant to search the backpack and said they found Bolar’s temporary driver’s license instruction permit, a balaclava, Lysol wipes and a photograph depicting Bolar with family members.

At Bolar’s first appearance on Aug. 26, King County prosecutors argued that he should be held on $20,000 bail for the attempting to elude police case. After hearing from prosecutors and defense, who likely noted Mr. Bolar had no conviction history, the Court released Mr. Bolar on his personal recognizance. Prosecutors did not have an indication from investigators at the time that he was connected to a murder case.

In line with court rules, prosecutors were not able to re-argue a bail amount when the attempting to elude case was filed on Aug. 28.

Prosecutors charged Bolar on Sept. 2 with attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle. He pleaded not guilty in court at his arraignment.

The Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory examined the revolver, the five cartridges remaining in the gun and ballistic evidence recovered during Overstreet’s autopsy.

In a report received by detectives on Sept. 28, the crime lab concluded that the bullet and jacket fragment recovered from Overstreet’s body had been fired from the Ruger found in the backpack, according to court documents.

Investigators also obtained Bolar’s cellphone records. Detectives said the records were consistent with the phone traveling from Bolar’s Covington residence toward Skyway shortly after midnight on the morning of the killing.

At 12:42 a.m., the records placed the phone in the immediate area of the homicide, according to the probable cause statement. From 12:43 a.m. to 12:48 a.m., investigators said the phone’s movements were consistent with the route taken by the suspect vehicle captured on surveillance cameras. By 1:03 a.m., the phone was back near Bolar’s Covington residence, investigators said.

Detectives cited the cellphone records, surveillance video, recovery of the Prius and the crime lab’s ballistic findings in establishing probable cause.

King County prosecutors have now charged Bolar with second-degree murder.

What you can do:

Detectives are still actively working this case and continue to encourage anyone to submit video or tips online.

What's next:

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is asking that Bolar’s bail be set at $3 million, arguing he presents a danger to the community and a significant flight risk.

The murder charge includes a firearm enhancement. Prosecutors said Bolar faces a standard sentencing range of 134 to 234 months if convicted of both charges, plus an additional 60 months for the firearm allegation. That could result in a sentence of more than 16 years to more than 24 years in prison, according to the state’s bail request.

Bolar’s first court appearance in this case is an arraignment hearing, where an initial plea is entered, scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Oct. 7 in Courtroom 1201 of the King County Courthouse.

What they're saying:

In a statement posted by Overstreet's father on Facebook, Brennan Overstreet said, "The detectives we’ve been working with to this point have worked tirelessly and shown sincere concern for those affected and we will continue to support and follow their lead on the long road ahead which will hopefully lead to justice for Connor."

Detectives say Isaiah Bolar is the younger brother of Yourhighness Jeremiah Bolar, who was convicted in January 2024 for second-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm.

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Crime and Public SafetyKing CountyCovingtonBryn Marr-Skyway