Fatal shooting of Kent father remains under investigation

Kent Police are still trying to determine what led to the June 16 fatal shooting of a 26-year-old Kent father on the East Hill.

Leroy Tinoga, the married father of two young children, died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to a June 23 report by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, which ruled his death a homicide. As of June 24, no arrest had been made in the case, according to an email from Kent Police Assistant Chief Jarod Kasner.

Officers responded at about 2:32 p.m. to a parking lot at 23847 108th Ave. SE, after multiple 911 calls to report a male bleeding from the head in a vehicle that had collided with other vehicles, according to police.

Upon arrival, officers were told by witnesses that Tinoga was inside his vehicle, and they believed he had been shot, according to police. Firefighters had to extricate Tinoga from his locked car. Due to the severity of his injuries, CPR and other lifesaving measures were taken, but Tinoga died at the scene.

“Leroy was located in the car when responding officers arrived,” Kasner said. “Processing the evidence collected at the scene and the vehicle may confirm what unfolded at the time of the shooting.”

Detectives also are processing witness statements, Kasner said.

A 28-year-old Kent man, considered by police as a suspect in the shooting, remained on the scene and surrendered his firearm, according to police. He is cooperating with the investigation. The circumstances leading up to the shooting were not immediately clear, according to police. Nobody else was injured during the incident.

“Yes, the believed shooter remained on scene and was interviewed by detectives,” Kasner said.

What went down, however, remains to be determined.

“This is an ongoing investigation, and all avenues and possibilities are being considered as detectives piece back together the sequence of events that unfolded during this incident,” Kasner said. “There have been numerous interviews conducted, with the collection of various evidentiary components and the involved process of examining all the information that has been collected.”

This was the third homicide in Kent this year, according to police.

Tinoga family mourns

“The family is grieving the heartbreaking and unexpected loss of a father, a son, a brother’s life taken far too soon,” wrote Abbee Delos-Reyes, of Kent, a close friend of the family, on GoFundMe.com. “On June 16, 2025, Leroy’s life was taken from us in a tragic and senseless act. He was driving home from the store and was shot in broad daylight. Due to the severity of his injuries, he didn’t make it.”

The death has been tough on the family.

“Shocking,” Angelica Fesili, of Kent, said in a phone interview June 18 about her younger brother. “Most of all, I’m still in denial.”

Fesili said her brother had lived in Kent for about four years.

Survivors include his wife and two young children, a 3-year-old and an 11-month-old.

“Leroy was kindhearted, he may be quiet and introverted, but he is a good brother and uncle, he is the favorite of the family, and he is a very good father to his two young children,” according to the GoFundMe posting.

Delos-Reyes wrote she started the fund to get the community and families to support the family of Tinoga.

“The entire family are experiencing loss no parent, wife, children, or siblings should ever go through,” Delos-Reyes wrote. “He and his wife, Faagalu, has two wonderful and beautiful children, Kendrick and Kameron Tinoga. They are way too young to understand that their father is not coming back home. Their kids are calling out for their papa and have no idea what had happened to their father.”