Suspect in teen shooting death arrested on warrant

King County Sheriff’s Office deputies Oct. 24 arrested an 18-year-old Seattle man on a murder warrant in connection with the July 12 shooting death of a Renton teen at a Kent fast-food restaurant.

King County prosecutors filed a first-degree murder charge July 18 against Edward Earl Cobb for shooting Chezaray Bacchus, 17. Cobb is slated for arraignment Monday in King County Superior Court at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.

Bacchus was shot and killed at an eatery in the 300 block of East Smith Street, after attending the Kent Cornucopia Days festival with friends.

He died at the scene from one shot in the shoulder that entered his chest and a second shot to the face, according to the charging papers.

A preliminary investigation showed the shooting was gang-related, according to Kent Police.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested Cobb without incident at about 9:45 p.m. at a home near 11th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Roxbury Street, just south of Seattle.

They were responding to a 911 domestic violence call from Cobb’s girlfriend that evening, sheriff’s office spokesman John Urquhart said Monday.

The woman called 911 from a gas station near the home to report she had sustained minor injuries and told deputies where Cobb could be found. Deputies determined from the woman’s description that her boyfriend had a murder warrant out of Kent.

Deputies surrounded the home, and Cobb walked out unarmed, Urquhart said.

“There was a call on domestic violence and a warrant for murder,” said Kent P.D. spokesman Paul Petersen. Of the arrest, he added, “The community is a safer place.”

As of Wednesday, Cobb remained in the King County jail in Seattle. He was denied bail (set at $1 million) because of a juvenile parole violation on his record. Bail was set at $1 million for the murder charge.

Witnesses at the Kent shooting told the police that Cobb walked up to Bacchus as he stood near the door to the restaurant and fired a shot from a handgun, according to the charging papers. Bacchus stumbled into the restaurant and collapsed on the floor.

Cobb then reportedly walked up to Bacchus, said something, and fired a second shot at the unarmed teen, the charging papers state.

Prosecutors said Cobb has an extensive criminal history. His juvenile convictions from 2000 to 2007 include custodial assault, possession of stolen property in the third degree, false statement to a public servant, third-degree theft, fourth-degree assault, residential burglary, trafficking in stolen property, possession of stolen property in the second degree, and second-degree arson.

Contact Kent Reporter Courts, government reporter Steve Hunter at shunter@kentreporter.com or 253-872-6600, ext. 5052.

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