Kent Police investigate multiple shots fired cases over last few weeks

The incidents of shots fired in Kent over the last few weeks continue to multiply.

Fourteen rounds were discharged on Sept. 8 at the Hookah Bar, 23651 104th Ave. SE, next to Sam’s Sports Bar on the East Hill, according to a police update by Derek Matheson, city chief administrative officer, to the City Council.

Detectives were told that a person had been shot in the head, but officers later learned it was only a scratch. There were no other reports of injuries.

The shots were fired at about 9 p.m. Residents made multiple calls to 911.

Investigators worked through the evidence and information collected at the scene to attempt to confirm the sequence of events that led to this chaotic incident, Kent Police spokesman Jarod Kasner said in an email.

It is the same bar where police fatally shot Eugene Nelson, 20, of Seattle, on Aug. 9 after Nelson reportedly tried to drive away while dragging an officer and his police dog.

In another shooting on Sept. 8, officers found 15 bullet casings in the area of the Somerset Apartments, 25220 109th Court SE. There were no known injuries, witnesses or suspects.

Police responded on Sept. 3 to a report of shots fired in the 25300 block of 121st Place Southeast. There were no reported injuries and detectives continue to investigate the incident.

In another shooting reported earlier this week by the Kent Reporter, someone fired shots at a man as he walked out of the state Department of Corrections (DOC) field office, 606 W. Gowe St., at about noon Sept. 12 in downtown Kent. Nobody was injured.

Police also continue to investigate the dozens of shots exchanged between rival gang members during a Sunday afternoon, Aug. 27, shooting along South 212th Street in the Kent Valley. Nobody was injured.