The King County Prosecutor’s Office has filed charges against a 16-year-old Auburn boy for allegedly shooting and injuring two brothers, then 17 and 19, in Auburn on July 6, 2009.
Prosecutors have charged Andrew Archuleta, 15 years old at the time of his alleged crimes, with attempted murder in the first degree, assault in the first degree and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors pushed early on to try Archuleta as an adult because of the seriousness of the charges. In January of this year, King County Juvenile Court held a hearing and declined jurisdiction, allowing Archuleta to be tried as an adult.
A conviction in adult court, including the firearm sentencing enhancements, carries a sentence range of 33 to 41 years in prison. A conviction in Juvenile Court would have earned Arculeta a maximum sentence of detention up to age 21.
In court papers, Auburn police detective James Hamil offered the following account of what happened:
At 9:33 p.m. July 6, Auburn police responded to numerous reports of gunshots and people shot in the street in front of 1210 30th St. SE. Officers found a large group of people surrounding David Garnica, 19, and his younger brother, Isaac, 17, as they lay in the street bleeding from gunshot wounds. According to court papers, David had been shot in the fingers of his right hand, and Isaac had sustained three shots to his torso, one to his arm, and one to his face. Both brothers would survive the shooting.
According to court papers, David told officers who visited him later at Auburn Regional Medical Center that he and Isaac had been in the street skateboarding when an unknown male walked toward them, unknown for the moment because his face was covered. The male walked past David and began shooting Isaac in the back. David punched the guy in the face, and the assailant turned and shot at him. According to court papers, David put up his hands to protect his face and was shot in the right hand.
According to court records, the commotion knocked the covering off the gunman’s face, and David told police that he could see that his attacker was Archuleta. He told police that the two were not friends, but that he knew Archuleta from school and from other minor social contacts.
When police visited David later at Auburn Regional Medical Center, according to court papers, he picked Archuleta out of a photo montage. Asked if he knew of a motive for the shooting, court papers say, David said that Isaac had once stolen Archuleta’s girlfriend. According to court papers, he added that a second brother, a former gang member, used to beat up Archuleta and members of his gang, the Pew Wee Serenos.
Police arrested Archuleta in Tacoma, recovering a gun holster and hand-written gang signs. Police also collected eight 9-mm shell casings at the scene, a skateboard and later a lead bullet that had hit a nearby building.
