Second suspect arrested for shooting death of 15-year-old rival gang member in Everett

EVERETT, Wash. - A second suspect has been arrested in connection to a deadly gang rivalry shooting in Everett.

A 15-year-old boy was shot several times while standing at a bus stop on Sept. 8. Bail is set at $5 million for a 19-year-old man, the second person accused of pulling the trigger.

Everett Police Department police chief Dan Templeman said officers were already monitoring an increase in gang-related graffiti. He said the gang-related violence in this case is far more concerning, considering deadly shootings are rare in Everett, according to the chief.

"We see younger and younger ages. It used to be high school-aged kids. Now we’re seeing middle school, late elementary school, where some of these young kids are being exposed to some of these negative influences," said Templeman. "As we start to see younger and younger children engaged in this type of activity, we certainly want to intervene."

The 15-year-old boy was shot several times while at a bus stop in Everett, presumably on his way to Kamiak High School where he was a student.

20-year-old Uriel Hernandez Martinez was the first person to face a Snohomish County judge for the teen’s death. In court documents, detectives said Hernandez-Martinez was referred to as a "big homie," a term used for gang leader or shot caller.

RELATED: Known gang leader suspected of killing 15-year-old rival gang member at Everett bus stop

Detectives said the 15-year-old was a rival gang member. Court documents revealed investigators believe the shooting was retaliation.

"Most importantly, your honor, there are 18 shell casings that are found near the body of the victim at the bus stop. Those 18 shell casings go back to what police say are a 9mm," said a Snohomish County prosecutor.

Hernandez-Martinez was arrested with a loaded gun at a store on Highway 99 in Everett. Court documents said during his interview with detectives, "Hernandez-Martinez pointed out that his pistol was a .40 caliber and that we would find that the bullet casings found near the crime scene would be a 9mm."

In the documents, detectives wrote, "The casings found at the murder scene did not match the casings associated with the gun found on Hernandez-Martinez."

According to court documents, Hernandez-Martinez told detectives a 19-year-old member in his gang had a 9mm gun. Defense attorneys argued Hernandez-Martinez was trying to place blame on the 19-year-old for the deadly shooting.

"We don’t believe that there’s sufficient information here to find probable cause," said one defense attorney during the 19-year-old’s probable cause hearing.

As the investigation develops about all members involved in the case, Templeman said the bigger issue is addressing gang activity and youth violence. 

"Everybody’s looking to law enforcement, law enforcement, law enforcement, law enforcement for the solution. And it’s really important for community to understand that law enforcement is one piece of the puzzle," said Templeman. "I don’t think that you’re going to address gang issues or violence issues throughout the community by just applying law enforcement techniques to it. So, it’s got to be a combination of both law enforcement efforts and community efforts combined if we’re going to make a difference."

The Everett Police Department is one of several partners in the City of Everett’s multilayered strategic plan to intervene and prevent youth violence. Templeman said this includes youth programming, education, community engagement and school resource officers.

"We have a Youth Services Unit. They focus a lot on developing these relationships, building trust with our youth so that we can help them when they run into situations where maybe they are exposed to the gang culture and either don’t want to be involved in it or have already gotten involved in it, and they want to get out of it," said Templeman.

The police chief called on more community organizations to participate in the strategic plan to give kids additional access and resources to positive outlets.

The 19-year-old suspect faces charges including first-degree murder.