Renton Police continue investigation of 'car meet' that escalated into a deadly shooting

RENTON, Wash. - Renton Police continue their investigation into a deadly shooting over the weekend that happened during a large gathering.

Vanessa Johnson, 17, was there the night of the shooting and said the events are car meets where young people gather and meet new people with the shared interest of street racing and car stunts.

“I have been going to them every weekend for about a month now and I really enjoyed it, but this last one is going to be hard to forget,” said Johnson. “I could hear a girl screaming and it looked like, there was the big crowd, and it looked like a fight was going on. I feel like a fight escalated and someone brought out their weapon and it just got out of hand.”

Commander David Leibman of the Renton Police Department said there are images of several people firing their weapons.

“We had multiple people with guns in the crowd that night. It was extremely dangerous, obviously somebody lost their life, but for those people who were uninvolved in this shooting but just happened to be there, they could’ve certainly been shot and killed as well,” said Leibman.

The Renton Police veteran said street racing is nothing new to the city or the region.

“I’ve been with the department for 30 years and it was going on before I got here,” said Commander Leibman. “Number one is the hazard that’s involved with street racing. We have had some very significant accidents, a couple of them resulting in deaths.”

Over the years, the department has cracked down on street racing and even partnered with other police agencies to prevent illegal activity on the street.

In the last decade or more, Renton police officers shut down roads notorious for street racing on weekend evenings and when the weather is hot.

Police are investigating the shooting that killed a 25-year-old man from Kent and injured a 24-year-old man and a 15-year-old.

“I think it’s heartbreaking what happened that night and my heart goes to the families whose children were injured, and my prayers go to the family who lost their child that night,” said Johnson.

If you have any information that may help police identify the people involved in the incident, reach out to Renton Police detectives.