Kent man sentenced for Jan. shooting in Renton

Following a felony plea agreement, a Kent man who shot a man in Renton received an almost three-and-a-half-year sentence.

On Nov. 14, Dominic Muldrow-Newton, 23, of Kent, received a six-month sentence for second-degree assault plus an additional mandatory firearm enhancement of 36 months in the Department of Corrections after a January incident where he shot a man who confronted him about alleged stolen items. This sentence followed a felony plea agreement where, following Muldrow-Newton’s plea, prosecutors recommended that he receive the sentence the court ultimately imposed.

According to witnesses, the suspect, Muldrow-Newton, had the nickname “Audi,” and after getting into a verbal argument in a parking lot with the victim, Audi shot the man in the stomach. According to a Renton Police Department spokesperson Meeghan Black, the victim survived the shooting.

The department’s violent crimes unit, with help from the King County Sheriff’s Office’s TAC30 SWAT Unit, arrested Audi on Jan. 3 at his mom’s apartment in Burien, according to Renton police and court documents. He was then charged with second-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

When police searched the apartment Audi was in, two firearms were recovered, including a Walther 9mm and a Ruger 9mm. The vehicle he used to flee the scene of the shooting was located nearby and had been previously stolen in an armed carjacking.

In addition, Muldrow-Newton was charged with first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. However, in the felony plea agreement, prosecutors asked that his first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm charge be dismissed. The charge was subsequently dismissed at his sentencing.

According to Muldrow-Newton’s felony plea agreement, he had one nonviolent felony contributing to his offender score. With an offender score of one, Muldrow-Newton’s sentencing range for the charge of second-degree assault, not accounting for mandatory weapon enhancements, was between six and 12 months.

Details of the incident

According to charging documents, the victim and other witnesses said that Audi stole a backpack and a pistol from the victim a few weeks prior. The victim described the pistol as a black semi-automatic Walther 9mm.

The victim said he had been looking for Audi to retrieve his belongings and then saw him when he was smoking with friends in the parking lot at 211 Morris Ave. The victim said that Audi exited his vehicle, he confronted Audi, and then an argument ensued, according to documents.

“The two met face to face and verbally argued. Audi pulled a pistol out and held it in his hand. A witness described the pistol as ‘something like a dark gray Glock.’ Eventually, the victim took a half step toward Audi, and Audi shot the victim with the pistol, striking him in the stomach,” according to documents.

The victim viewed a photo lineup and identified Audi as “1,000%” the person who shot him. Documents state that due to his conviction history, Audi should not have been in possession of a firearm at the time of the incident.

Officers then located Audi and arrested him, but then he said he wanted to speak. Documents state that Audi told officers he shot the victim, but it was in self-defense. Audi explained that the victim had been threatening to kill him and had a pistol of his own.

According to documents, Audi said he pointed a gun at the victim, but he did not believe it was loaded. Audi said he intentionally pulled the trigger while the pistol was pointed at the victim, and he was hoping the sound of the unloaded pistol dry-firing would scare the victim away. He said he was surprised when the pistol fired and struck the victim.

Documents state that Audi said he panicked and drove away from the scene in the stolen black 2020 Nissan Altima. He admitted to knowing the vehicle was stolen before driving it.