A man is dead following a fatal shooting outside a bar in Kent on Thursday night, May 2, 2024.

Kent Police say that at 10:46 p.m., Patrol Officers were dispatched to a bar in the 1700 block of W. Meeker Street (map below) regarding a physical fight in the parking lot. As the witness was giving information to 911, the dispatch receiver heard gunshots in the background. Additional witnesses called 911 to report that a man had been shot and was not breathing.

Multiple Kent Officers and Puget Sound Regional Fire Fighters were immediately dispatched and arrived quickly to the scene. Patrol Officers entered the bar and located the suspect, a 25-year-old Kent man, and the victim, a 30-year-old Federal Way man. The suspect was cooperative, and admitted to shooting the victim. He was taken into custody quickly and without incident.

Patrol Officers and Firefighters administered immediate medical aid to the victim, but tragically he succumbed to his injuries.

Officers located a handgun on the suspect that was registered to him. A second handgun was located inside the bar.

Witnesses reported that the suspect and victim were in an argument just prior to stepping outside into the parking lot. They physically fought, then walked back inside the bar. Some witnesses reported seeing the victim holding a gun when they were outside, just prior to the shooting.

Following the fight outside, the suspect re-entered the bar first, and when the victim re-entered the suspect shot him several times. The suspect then sat on the ground and waited for Police to arrive. He was booked into the King County Jail on suspicion of Murder 2.

The Kent Police Detectives were later called in to complete the investigation.