The King County Prosecutor’s Office filed a first-degree murder charge Friday against an 18-year-old Seattle man in connection with the shooting death of a Renton teenager July 12 at a Kent fast-food restaurant.
As of Monday morning, Kent Police were still looking for Edward Earl Cobb, the alleged gunman whose last known address was in Seattle. Cobb should be considered potentially armed, according to a Kent Police media release.
A preliminary investigation has indicated the shooting was gang-related, according to the media release. None of the individuals involved were from Kent.
Chezaray Bacchus, 17, of Renton, was shot and killed at a fast-food restaurant at 7:10 p.m. on July 12 in the 300 block of East Smith Street after attending the Kent Cornucopia Days festival with friends. Bacchus died at the scene from one shot in the shoulder that entered the chest and a second shot to the face, according to the charging papers.
About 2 1/2 hours after the Kent shooting, Cobb was shot at a Renton convenience store in the 600 block of South Third Street, according to Kent Police. Cobb survived the shooting and was released from Harborview Medical Center in Seattle before detectives connected him with the Kent shooting. Renton Police continue to investigate the shooting of Cobb.
Cobb is 5-foot-9 and weighs 154 pounds, according to the Kent Police.
Witnesses 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 that struck Bacchus, 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 youth, according to the charging papers.
After the Kent shooting, investigators found Cobb and another male were hiding in a field several blocks from the restaurant. But both men were released before witnesses came forward to identify them, according to the charging papers.
Police found a red hat at the scene of the Renton shooting that reportedly matched the red hat witnesses saw Cobb wearing at the Kent shooting.
Prosecutors have requested bail to be set a $1 million. Prosecutors said Cobb has an extensive criminal history and is prohibited from having a gun. Cobb’s juvenile convictions from 2000 to 2007 include custodial assault, second- and third-degree possession of stolen property, false statement to a public servant, third-degree theft, fourth-degree assault, residential burglary, trafficking in stolen property, and second-degree arson.
Kent Police are working with gang units from the Seattle Police and King County Sheriff’s Office as part of the investigation.
Anyone with information about Cobb should call the Kent Police at 253-856-5800.
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