Court docs: Lakewood teen was shot, killed by friend 'messing around' with gun

16-year-old accused of shooting and killing friend pleads not guilty

The alleged 16-year-old gunman ran off but then turned himself in.

LAKEWOOD, Wash. - A 16-year-old boy has been charged with accidentally shooting and killing his friend in Lakewood last Thursday.

According to probable cause documents, the victim—who was also 16—was hanging out with some friends in the living of his house near Commercial St. SW and Woodlawn St. SW. One of the boys, 16-year-old David Maldonado, had a handgun on him and was playing with it while they were sitting on the couch.

Court documents say Maldonado racked the gun and pointed it at the victim, pulling the trigger—but it clicked and did not fire.

Maldonado then reportedly racked the gun again even when one of the friends "told him to not mess around," in case the gun had "one on the top," meaning a bullet was chambered. Maldonado pulled the trigger again, and the gun fired and hit the victim in the chest.

The gunshot startled the victim's family members upstairs, who "heard a commotion" and ran downstairs, where they found one of the boys attempting CPR on the victim. Maldonado and another friend had run from the house, according to court documents.

When officers arrived, crews from West Pierce Fire and Rescue were already at the scene performing lifesaving efforts on the victim. The victim later died after being taken to Madigan Army Medical Hospital.

Court docs say officers identified Maldonado through surveillance video, and the next day, Maldonado's family had contacted police saying they were negotiating his surrender. Maldonado later surrendered to police on June 23.

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Maldonado faces charges of first-degree murder and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.