Man Charged In Renton Shooting That Injured Teen Bystander

RENTON, WA — King County prosecutors have charged a man in connection with a parking lot shooting that left a 15-year-old boy hospitalized in August.

Jacob Little, 24, is accused of firing several shots as multiple fights broke out during "a gathering of 200 plus car enthusiasts" at the Uwajimaya parking lot on Aug. 30. According to police, Little was armed with two handguns and fired several shots into the air, then fired two shots at another man. Prosecutors said the gunfire instead hit a teen boy in the shoulder as he was sitting in the backseat of his friend's car.

That night's gunfire ultimately left a 25-year-old Kent man dead and a 24-year-old Puyallup man injured, along with the teen. Little is accused only in the shooting of the boy.

According to court filings Wednesday, Little is already in federal custody on suspicion of stealing a rifle from a Seattle police vehicle during chaotic protests downtown on May 30. Prosecutors said a search warrant related to the Seattle case was served at Little's home on July 20 — more than a month before the Renton shooting — but the only guns found he was "not prohibited from possessing" at the time. Little was booked into a federal detention facility on Sept. 4, five days after the shooting.

After receiving an anonymous tip, a Renton detective contacted Seattle police to learn more about their case. According to investigators, detectives then compared a Department of Licensing photo with social media videos and witness statements from the night of the parking lot shooting, successfully identifying Little as the person who shot the boy.

In the Renton case, Dean faces a second-degree assault charge and prosecutors requested bail set at $250,000, citing an imminent pre-trial release in the federal case.

"The Defendant has demonstrated he is a danger to the public and has no regard for the safety of others," wrote Adrienne McCoy, a senior deputy prosecuting attorney. "Bail in this amount is necessary to protect the public from his perilous use of firearms."

An arraignment hearing is scheduled for Oct. 26 at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.