Kent man, 18, faces potential second-degree murder charge

An 18-year-old Kent man faces a potential second-degree murder charge for allegedly firing as many as seven shots at a 34-year-old Kent man during a confrontation on April 4 in the Alderbrook Apartments parking lot.

The man made his first court appearance Monday, April 5, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. A judge found probable cause for second-degree murder. He is being held with bail denied in the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle until a felony filing decision on April 7 after Kent Police refer the case to prosecutors. The Kent Reporter generally does not name a suspect until he or she has been formally charged.

Melvin Wilson died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to court documents.

Officers responded at about 1:51 a.m. to a shooting at the apartment parking lot, 412 E. Novak Lane, according to police. Police found Wilson unconscious and lying in the roadway. Life-saving efforts by patrol units were unsuccessful and he died at the scene.

A witness recorded the incident on a cellphone and gave a copy of the video to police. People in two vehicles parked near each other and were yelling at each other.

A woman in a 2007 Ford Fusion yelled at Wilson and his girlfriend associated with a 2007 BMW. Wilson stood on the passenger side of the vehicle for most of the argument. The woman with the Fusion reportedly yelled derogatory racial slurs at Wilson, which appeared to make him very angry.

Wilson approached the driver’s side door when the woman sat in the driver’s seat. She continued to yell racial slurs. Wilson’s girlfriend got between him and the Fusion several times during the confrontation.

Wilson reportedly yelled, “Don’t say (n-word)” during the final time he approached the driver’s side door. As he got up to the door, the man associated with the Fusion came around from the passenger side and fired three shots from a handgun and then four more rounds. Several shots struck Wilson in the chest.

The alleged shooter, who is Black, fled the scene on foot after firing the shots. Police later tracked him down in the apartment complex and took him into custody without incident.