Man charged with first-degree murder in Shoreline, WA shooting

SHORELINE, Wash. - A King County man has been charged with first-degree murder in connection to a deadly domestic violence shooting in Shoreline earlier this week.

The King County Prosecutor's Office charged Hector Gonzalez Medina, 43, with first-degree murder domestic violence with a firearm enhancement. Medina is accused of gunning down his wife in Shoreline on Oct. 27, a week after she said she was leaving him.

Timeline:

According to court documents obtained by FOX 13 Seattle, family and friends said Medina and his wife had long been having marital issues. One particular family member accused Medina of being an alcoholic, and said there was an incident of domestic violence when Medina shoved his wife, but it went unreported.

Sometime around Oct. 20, Medina's wife said she was leaving him.

She went to visit a friend in Shoreline on Oct. 26, and Medina called during that time and began arguing with her, court docs say. Her friend said Medina threatened to kill her. In the early hours of Oct. 27, around 1:30 a.m., the friend walked her to her truck, when they suddenly heard gunshots.

The friend and several others called 911, and police arrived to find Medina's wife dead.

The other side:

During the police investigation, detectives learned Medina drives a white van with a ladder on top, a company logo on the sides and a broken back window.

While detectives spoke with a family member, another relative called and said they had just gotten off the phone with Medina, who said he "had just made the worst mistake of his life, and he was going to get his kids and come to Mexico," according to court documents.

Investigators shortly after met with Medina at the Shoreline apartment complex where the shooting occurred.

Medina said he had no idea what happened to his wife, and claimed he had been sleeping at his job site nearby when "he got a bad feeling" and walked to the friend's apartment, court docs say.

Detectives obtained surveillance video of a nearby business, which they say showed a white van with a ladder on top, company logo on the side and a broken back window arrive in the area of the shooting around 40 minutes before it occurred.

Dig deeper:

Early the next morning, Medina's neighbor called police and said he needed to be picked up from their place, and that he wanted to confess.

Bothell police picked up Medina and interviewed him, and he confessed that he shot his wife. Medina explained that he had been fighting with his wife for several weeks, and when he came home to find her gone, he got angry and called her.

According to court documents, Medina said he threatened to kill her, then drove to her friend's house and hid outside for 15 minutes before his wife came out. Medina told investigators he went to the passenger-side window of her truck and shot her through the glass, walked back to his car to reload his gun, then walked back and opened the driver-side door and shot his dead wife several more times.

Medina said he drove back to his job site and tried to hide or throw away his license plate, his ladders, his magnetic work emblems, his gun, ammunition and his ID, court docs say.

Police were able to recover Medina's gun where he said he left it, and discovered it had no serial number.

What they're saying:

"This tragedy, coming during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, is a painful reminder of what’s at stake," said David Martin, Chair of the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office Domestic Violence Unit. "Domestic violence is not a private matter — it’s a public safety crisis. Behind every statistic is a person whose life mattered — and a family and community left to grieve. Awareness must mean more than recognition; it must drive the change that saves lives."

"One of my first decisions when I was elected prosecuting attorney was to create a Gender-Based Violence and Prevention Division in my office because attending to the needs of survivors of gender-based violence is a priority for me personally – and it requires the intentional investment of resources, time, and capacity," said King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion, who took office in 2023. "It also requires understanding." Read more here.

What's next:

Medina is scheduled to be arraigned on Nov. 4 at 8:30 a.m.

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