Edmonds Senior Center Shooting: 2 Men Arrested

EDMONDS, WA - Two men were arrested in connection with a murder at the Edmonds Senior Center Friday night, according to Snohomish County Sheriff's officials. One man is charged with the killing while the other is accused of conducting the attempted getaway.

Samba Sy of SeaTac and Abdourahim Juwara of Seattle, both 21, are being held at Snohomish County jail. Sy is charged with second-degree murder, a Class A felony, and is being held on $1 million bail; Juwara is charged with attempt to elude, a Class C felony, and is being held on $10,000 bail.

A woman was also detained at the time Sy and Juwara were arrested, though she was released without being identified. It does not appear as though she is charged with any crime.

According to a Probable Cause affidavit obtained by Patch, a large party at 220 Railroad Ave. in Edmonds was brought to a close around midnight by the sounds of gunfire. At the time of the shooting, Edmonds police were already at the Edmonds Senior Center due to previous calls complaining about the party's noise.

Around 11:45 p.m. Dec. 14, a uniformed Edmonds officer sitting in his marked patrol car heard several gunshots come from the Senior Center and watched as three people — two men and one woman — came running from the party. The officer said he saw one of the men, later identified as Sy, pushing an object into the waistband of his pants; the officer said he believed the object was a firearm.

Moments after the three suspects ran from the building, a much larger group of revelers poured from the building into the parking lot. The three suspects, however, jumped into a silver Infiniti.

The officer shouted at the trio to stop, noting the driver — Juwara — looked right at him but did not end his flight, the affidavit states. The officer quickly jumped into his cruiser and chased the escaping suspects while other officers at the Senior Center began assisting with the panicked party-goers.

The officer said he chased the suspects through the surrounding neighborhood, reaching speeds up to 85 mph in 35 mph zones. Weaving through traffic and creating an extremely hazardous situation, the suspects fled for nearly 2 miles before the officer was able to catch up in thick congestion and perform a high-risk traffic stop.

All three suspects were arrested without further incident.

Back at the Senior Center other officers pieced together what happened.

Speaking to the victim's brother and girlfriend, officers positively identified the slain 23-year-old. Additionally, the victim's brother said he watched Sy shoot his sibling in the upper right part of his chest, telling police he was "100 percent" sure Sy was the shooter when asked whether he recognized him after Sy's arrest, the affidavit states.

At this time, it's still unclear what exactly led up to the shooting or whether the alleged shooter had a motive.

According to statements from Sy and Juwara, the men arrived at the Senior Center together. Both men said Sy went into the party while Juwara and the unidentified woman remained outside. Their stories diverge, however, with regard to Sy's location at the exact moment the shooting occurred.

Sy told police he'd left the Senior Center to retrieve alcohol from his car. While outside, he heard gunshots and fled with Juwara and the woman.

Both Juwara and the woman said they were outside when the shots were fired; they fled when Sy came running from the building. Neither Juwara nor the woman appear to have said anything about seeing Sy outside before the shots — though all three said they had no involvement with the shooting.

No weapons were found during a search of the Infiniti after the suspects' arrests.

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