A 25-year-old Kent man faces a second-degree murder charge for allegedly shooting 26-year-old Jimmy R. Joe on April 27 at a Kent apartment complex.
King County prosecutors charged Johnston J Fernandez-Edwin on Wednesday, May 3. He remains in custody at the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle with bail set at $2 million. Kent Police arrested Fernandez-Edwin on May 2.
The two men reportedly had an ongoing feud, according to charging papers. Fernandez-Edwin accused Joe in May 2022 of burglarizing his apartment, where the two were previously roommates.
Kent Police responded at about 6:34 p.m. April 27 to the Dockside Apartments, 23222 61st Ave. S., after a report of someone being shot in the parking lot of the complex. Joe died at the scene. He died of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Detectives used video surveillance and an interview with the brother of Fernandez-Edwin to determine what reportedly happened.
With his brother as a passenger, Fernandez-Edwin was driving a 1991 Buick Park Avenue west on West Meeker Street from a Circle K gas station when about a block later they recognized Joe driving a gray Dodge Durango SUV the opposite way, according to court documents.
Joe reportedly made his hand into the shape of a gun and pointed it at them, according to the brother. That reportedly upset Fernandez-Edwin so he turned around and followed Joe to Joe’s apartment.
Joe reportedly got out of his car and walked over to Fernandez-Edwin’s car with a baseball bat on his shoulder. They argued through the open driver’s door window. Fernandez-Edwin allegedly told detectives he grabbed his Glock 22 pistol from under the seat and shot Joe one time before fleeing in his vehicle.
Detectives found video surveillance that reportedly showed Fernandez-Edwin in his Park Avenue following Joe in his Durango from the area of James Street and Russell Road until arriving at the Dockside Apartments. Police camera footage captured an image of the Park Avenue driving away from the murder scene eastbound on South 212th Street from 64th Avenue South, according to charging papers.
Fernandez-Edwin told detectives after his arrest that he knew Joe and had prior conflicts with him for about 18 months over thefts and both dating the same woman.
Fernandez-Edwin is scheduled to be arraigned at 9 a.m. May 15 at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.
If convicted as charged, Fernandez-Edwin could face a standard sentencing range of 15 years to 24 years in prison, according to court documents.
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