Four young male adults are presently in Kitsap County Jail for their involvement in a drive-by shooting early Tuesday morning.
Kitsap County Sheriff’s deputies and detectives responded to a home in the 3800 block of NE Pinecone Drive in East Bremerton regarding a malicious mischief complaint, according to the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO). The occupants of the house said they thought the windows in the lower portion of the residence had been damaged by someone throwing rocks.
Deputies quickly determined the windows were destroyed by shotgun blasts. An 18-year-old woman inside the home sustained minor injuries to her legs and hands from fragmented glass from the damaged windows.
The investigation revealed that the young woman had been the target of harassing telephone calls, text messages and other threats from a former boyfriend and some of his acquaintances. Detectives made contact with the victim’s ex-boyfriend and the investigation moved forward, according to KCSO.
Investigators determined a plan had been formulated amongst a group of six men, consisting of the former boyfriend and five others, which included the use of firearms as part of the pattern of ongoing harassment toward the woman and her current boyfriend. Three of the men took part in the actual assault, driving to the Pinecone Drive home and firing at least two rounds at the house from a 12-gauge shotgun shortly after 3 a.m. Tuesday.
Detectives developed probable cause for the arrests of four of the six members of the group, who were arrested Tuesday. A 19-year-old Bremerton man was booked into jail on a single charge of harassment with bail set at $10,000. An 18-year-old East Bremerton man was booked into jail on a charge of drive-by shooting with bail set at $50,000.
A search warrant was served at the home of the remaining suspects, two brothers, in the 2600 block of Northlake Way NW in Central Kitsap. Investigators seized two 12-gauge shotguns and associated ammunition, KCSO said. The two suspects drove by the property during the search and were subsequently taken into custody. The 18-year-old was booked into jail for drive-by shooting with bail set at $250,000. The 22-year-old, a convicted felon, was booked into jail for drive-by shooting and unlawful possession of a firearm. His bail was set at $250,000.
The three suspects booked into jail on the drive-by shooting charge appeared in Kitsap County Superior Court earlier this week. The suspect booked into jail for harassment will appear in Kitsap County District Court.
None of the four suspects arrested was the former boyfriend of the victim. He is one of two still under investigation.
