Male pedestrian killed Jan. 16 in Federal Way identified

The 36-year-old man who was struck by a driver and killed on Jan. 16 in Federal Way has been identified.

Joshua King, 36, died of multiple blunt injuries, according to King County Medical Examiner’s Office. His death is ruled an accident. Federal Way Police Department officials told the Federal Way Mirror that the suspected driver returned to the scene the night of the incident and was interviewed as part of the investigation.

Police also said there is no evidence that leads investigators to believe King and the adult male driver knew each other. The suspected driver is not in custody, said Cmdr. Schwan of Federal Way Police, which initially investigated the incident as a hit-and-run.

Meanwhile, those who knew King are coping with the news of his death.

“[Joshua] was a very kind soul … there’s not a mean bone in his body. He didn’t talk bad about people. He was a great kid growing up,” said Steve King, Joshua’s father, on Feb. 1. He said Joshua was always kind to his brother and as an adult, worked as a roofer.

“The support was incredible,” said Steve King, who lives in Kent, about family members and friends who gathered at Joshua’s celebration of life on Jan. 27. “My house was full… full, full full.”

Just before 9:30 p.m. Jan. 16 near Harbor Freight Tools (31858 Pacific Highway S.), officers responded to the area for reports of a person lying in the parking lot, according to Schwan. The first responding officer located the man, later identified as King, unresponsive and began CPR.

When medics arrived and cut off the man’s clothing, Schwan said it was apparent the man had been hit by a vehicle. King, who police say was homeless, died at the scene. Steve King noted the struggles Joshua had with addiction.

Steve King said he is very aware of addiction and what path it can lead a person down. “I’ve been there,” he said, adding that he himself has been sober for 12 years now.

King said he tried to help his son over the years with his addiction. The last time he saw Joshua was when he tried to get him into a clean and sober house about four years ago.

“I honestly didn’t know if he was Federal Way, Seattle, California,” Steve King said. “I had no idea where he was.”

Steve King acknowledged his son’s faults, and said he is still waiting for more details about the circumstances of Joshua’s death.

“Once drugs take over your life, you become a different person. Once he became that different person, I didn’t know [him] anymore,” he said.

Federal Way’s Major Accident Investigation Team responded and at the time, Schwan was not aware the driver had returned to the scene, he told the Mirror on Jan. 25.

Police initially categorized this incident as the first homicide of 2023 in Federal Way, according to the Community Crime Map. As of Jan. 25, the incident is now marked as a fatal traffic incident.

“The original ‘man down’ call was erroneously categorized as ‘homicide,’” said Schwan in an email.

With investigation, police determined the incident was unintentional and there was no arrest made, he said. Because of this, the incident category was updated online to show it was a fatal traffic accident.

“Call categories are regularly updated/corrected once an investigation has been done and the full understanding of the incident is clear instead of what was originally reported to 911,” Schwan added.

Joshua King, left, with his mother. Photo courtesy of Steve King