The number of homicides in Kent jumped to 14 in 2021, up from from eight in 2020, while the number of overall shots fired in town increased to 179 from 117 in 2020.
Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla broke down the numbers during a Public Safety Report Feb. 15 to the Kent City Council.
Kent had four homicides in 2019 and seven in 2018. Eleven of the 14 homicides in 2021 were by gunfire while just four were by gunfire in 2020.
Padilla said detectives cleared 11 of the 14 homicides, meaning individuals were arrested and charged in the deaths. One case remains in the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to decide whether to file charges, and two cases remain unsolved.
“That’s a solved rate of 85%,” Padilla said. “The national rate is 51% clearance.”
Kent has had one homicide so far in 2022, Padilla said. A 44-year-old Kent man was found fatally shot inside a vehicle Jan. 27 in the area of Green River Road and South 277th Street. No arrest has been made. Officers responded to the scene after a report of shots fired.
“That case is actively being investigated, so I’m not releasing additional information at this time,” Padilla said in a Feb. 22 email.
Unsolved 2021 cases
Padilla said they are seeking the public’s help to solve two of the homicides in 2021.
“We have leads, but not enough for charges,” Padilla told the council.
■ Donte Green, 29, fatally shot May 29, 2021
Green was killed by multiple gunshots at about 6:30 a.m. in a bathroom at the Luxe Hookah Lounge, which has since closed, at 306 Washington Ave. S., near Safeway.
Detectives are asking for help from the community to identify and contact five men who are believed to have witnessed the killing. Multiple witnesses that were both inside and outside the lounge fled prior to officers arriving.
Detectives have received limited information that led to Green’s death and a second man who was shot in an arm.
■ Antwon D. Nelson, 28, shot June 20, 2021, and died June 21
Nelson was shot at about 1:56 a.m. in a car along Alder Lane near the Central Avenue Pub. He died of a gunshot wound to the head. Padilla said detectives need more information about the shooting.
A woman came out of the bar and saw Nelson had been shot. She drove him to Valley Medical Center in Renton where they met with police. Officers found multiple shell casings in the roadway near Nelson’s vehicle.
Anyone with information about the cases can call the Kent Police tipline at 253-856-5808 or email KPDTipLine@kentwa.gov.
Shots fired numbers
All numbers were up for the second consecutive year in Kent as part of the 2021 King County Firearm Violence Report, Padilla said.
The shots fired totaled 179, up from 117 in 2020 and 76 in 2019. A total of 46 were injured, up from 33 in 2020, and 17 in 2019. Shots that caused property damage totaled 41, up from 32 the previous year and 24 in 2019. And shots reported, where nothing was hit but shell casings were found, totaled 81 in 2021, which is up from 48 in 2020 and 30 in 2019.
“All categories were up, but homicides were the most drastic,” Padilla said of the jump to 11 from four by gunfire.
Padilla said the increase in numbers in King County and Kent were similar to increases in Pierce and Snohomish counties.
“You’ll probably see similar numbers across the country,” Padilla said. “It’s more of a societal issue than Kent specific, but we’ve got to do what we can here.”
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