Man Murdered In Seattle After Criticizing Robber: Police

SEATTLE, WA — Angelo Pope was sitting at a bus stop along Aurora Avenue one night in June when he met Larente Vanga. They talked, drank, smoked marijuana — but Vanga would eventually kill Pope over a little bit of trash talk, according to police.

Vanga, 19, was charged with second-degree murder and robbery this week in connection to Pope's killing. Police say that Vanga robbed another man at that bus stop, spurring Pope to brag about how he would never let someone rob him. Vanga stalked Pope before opening fire on him from across Aurora Avenue, according to court documents.

Pope, 59, and another man were hanging out at the bus stop at North 84th Street and Aurora Avenue around 11:30 p.m. on June 18 when they struck up a conversation with Vanga and another man. Pope offered the two men marijuana, and Vanga even wound up going to a nearby gas station to buy papers to roll a joint.

But the night took a violent turn sometime around midnight when Vanga pulled out a 9mm handgun and robbed Pope's companion.

"F--k him man, that's a BB gun," Pope said diminishing Vanga's gun, according to witnesses.

Pope continued to talk after the robbery, according to court documents, saying that he "wouldn't have let anyone rob him like that" and that a robber "would have to kill [Pope] for his money."

Vanga and his companion left the bus stop and got in a car parked nearby. Several witnesses saw the vehicle drive around the block and then stop near The Woodlands pizza shop. Vanga got out of the car and stood looking at Pope from across Aurora Avenue.

According to police, Vanga fired five shots from across the street, and a woman sitting at the bus stop heard Pope scream. He crawled along the sidewalk toward the woman, but would later die at Harborview from blood loss due to a chest wound.

"The dude turned around and walk[ed] away, disappear[ed] into the darkness," the woman told police about watching Vanga after the shooting.

Police were able to identify Vanga, a Skyway resident, as a suspect after reviewing surveillance footage. One witness told police that Vanga confessed to the murder, according to court documents.

Vanga is being held at the King County Jail on $2 million bail. He will be arraigned on charges of second-degree murder, robbery, and felony harassment on Aug. 5.