Central District drive-by suspect facing felony charges

A convicted felon accused of shooting at rival gang members outside the Central District Grocery Outlet earlier this month will be arraigned on Aug. 23 in King County Superior Court on several charges connected to the drive-by.

Rashad Tyree Mackey is being charged with second-degree assault, drive-by shooting and unlawful possession of a firearm in the first degree in connection with the Aug. 6 shooting that struck one alleged target in the leg.

Mackey had been under Department of Corrections supervision, according to a police report, which identified the 28-year-old as a known Deuce8 gang member. He was prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Detectives identified him as a suspect after reviewing Grocery Outlet security footage following the Aug. 6 shooting incident that took place around 12:45 p.m.

Mackey is reportedly seen inside the store, where he has a verbal exchange with the alleged victim, before making a purchase, according to the police report.

He then reportedly moved his vehicle to another part of the parking lot, where he could see the alleged victim and his friend — both reportedly members of the rival West Side 18th Street gang — exit the store. Mackey allegedly exchanged words with the victim a second time while he was exiting the north entrance, and then stopped at the eastbound bus stop on East Union Street. The alleged victim is seen on video walking toward the bus stop, according to the report, at which point a third exchange of words is believed to have taken place. It’s at this point that the alleged victim was reportedly shot in the leg.

The King County Prosecutor’s Office reports in its filing of charges that Mackey fired three shots, and just one struck the alleged victim in the left leg.

A police report states the 22-year-old  alleged victim was not cooperative with officers when being interviewed at Harborview Medical Center. He reportedly later admitted to being in the West Side 18th Street gang.

A detective reviewing the Grocery Outlet security footage identified Mackey as a possible suspect, and the man recorded on the footage was compared with a DOC photo of Mackey, according to a probable cause affidavit. The report states a vehicle registered to Mackey matched witness descriptions and security footage of the one used during the drive-by.

Mackey was located walking near Ninth Avenue and Columbia Street about seven hours after the shooting, and was taken into custody following a short pursuit, according to the police report.

Seattle Police executed search warrants for Mackey’s vehicle and residence. The report states clothing was found inside Mackey’s residence that matched those worn by the suspect during the shooting, as well as a Grocery Outlet bag and the same items the suspect purchased that day. Officers reportedly also recovered suspected heroin from the freezer.

A loaded Ruger .380 handgun and Walther 9mm handgun were found in a safe, according to the report, along with ammunition. The police report states the .380 was listed as stolen in Pierce County, and the 9mm as stolen in Bellevue.

Three .380-caliber shell casings were allegedly found inside Mackey’s car — no shell casings were recovered from the shooting scene, which led investigators to believe the suspect did not point the weapon outside the vehicle.

The report states a Grocery Outlet receipt found in the car showed the purchase had been made shortly before the shooting.

Mackey reportedly declined to answer questions from investigators and requested an attorney.

Probable cause was found to detain Mackey, and his bond is set at $150,000.