Judge Sets $1M Bail For Man Accused In Cedar River Shooting

RENTON, WA — A Bonney Lake man faces allegations of premeditated murder after a deadly shooting near the Cedar River last week, according to prosecutors.

Court documents filed Thursday in King County said James Schultz, 34, was at a fire pit along the river on June 18, speaking with various people throughout the evening. Later that night, a conversation over the Black Lives Matter movement, involving Nicholas Germer, 24, became "heated," prosecutors said. According to deputies, both men involved in the argument were white.

Prosecutors said Shultz stood up and punched Germer in the face, then Germer hit Shultz over the head with a bottle of vodka, causing it to break. Schultz fell down an embankment toward the river.

According to detectives, the remaining group decided to gather their things and leave the fire pit. On the way to the parking lot, the group told investigators they saw Schultz bleeding from the head and holding a handgun behind his back. At that point, detectives say, Schultz approached Germer and shot him in the chest. Witnesses told deputies Germer attempted to run away and was shot again in the back and the leg.

Prosecutors said several people positively identified Shultz as the person who shot Germer.

During a hearing Thursday afternoon, a judge found probable cause for first-degree murder and set bail at $1 million. A second court appearance is scheduled for Monday, June 29, which also is the deadline for rush-filing charges.