The suspect accused of killing beloved community leader D’Vonne Pickett Jr. was charged Monday with murder and other violent crimes in King County.
Ashton Christopher Leffall is charged with first degree murder, three counts of first degree assault, first degree robbery, and second degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
Pickett Jr. was shot to death on Wednesday, October 19. Lefall was arrested on Thursday, October 20.
At his first court appearance on October 21, a judge ordered him held without bail.
On October 19, multiple witnesses called 911 to report shots being fired and a suspect seen fleeing from the 1100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found Pickett Jr. lying on the sidewalk with multiple gunshot wounds, according to court documents. Officers rendered aid until Seattle Fire Department medics took Pickett Jr. to Harborview Medical Center, where he died of his injuries.
Police spoke with Pickett Jr.’s wife, Keanna R. Pickett, who said she and her husband had driven to their mail and delivery business in the 1100 block of MLK Jr. Way. After they stopped, D’Vonne Pickett Jr. got out and walked to the front door when he heard multiple gunshots behind her, according to court documents.
Keanna Pickett said she saw a man matching the other witnesses’ descriptions standing behind the bushes shooting her husband. She then ran out of the car to help D’Vonne Picket Jr. while he called 911, according to court documents.
When asked if she knew of anyone who wanted to hurt her husband, Keanna Pickett said that Leffall has repeatedly threatened her husband and members of her family, including her. She also referred to a report that D’Vonne Pickett Jr. had filed regarding Leffall’s earlier harassment.
The previous report, filed Sept. 9, indicated that Leffall had been harassing D’Vonne Pickett Jr. and his family online and via text message for the past two years, according to court documents. She previously told officers that Leffall, who lives in Hawaii, showed up at her business and asked for him. An employee told Leffall to leave, according to court documents.
Pickett Jr. owned The Postman with his wife in Seattle’s Central District and also worked as a youth mentor and coach. His friends and family referred to Pickett Jr. as a pillar of the community.
Leffall was involved in numerous other shootings in the days leading up to the murder, according to court documents.
The detective investigating the cases recommended that Leffall not be released, and identified Leffall as a suspect “who has been firing his gun indiscriminately at citizens.”
Those other crimes include a shooting on October 17 around 11:55 a.m. m. That morning, multiple 911 callers reported that a man was mugged and shot at an African imports specialty store in the 4000 block of Rainier Avenue South. Leffall was charged with first degree robbery and first degree assault for this incident.
When police arrived, they found the store owner on the sidewalk outside the building with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center in serious condition, according to court documents.
Surveillance footage showed a man matching Leffall’s description entering the store and examining merchandise. The man then left the store but returned five minutes later with a mask and a concealed firearm in a shopping bag, according to court documents.
When he arrived at the counter, the suspect pointed his gun at the victim and demanded his debit card and PIN number, which the victim provided. The suspect then shot the victim in the chest and fled the store on foot.
Security video from a Walgreens across the street from the scene of the shooting captured the suspect getting into a car, a 1996-1998 tan or silver Acura TL with unique chrome wheels, before traveling onto Rainier Avenue South and disappearing.
The victim’s wife told police that the victim’s debit card had declined transactions at a Bank of America ATM at 4701 University Way NE. ATM security footage shows a man matching the description of the robbery suspect attempting to withdraw funds.
Later that night, he received a 911 call from a man who said he heard a gunshot and suddenly started bleeding while driving south on Aurora Avenue near Raye Street in Seattle. Officers found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg. He fired a bullet through the victim’s door from a passing vehicle, according to court documents. Leffall was charged with first degree assault for this incident.
The victim was driving a Tesla Model 3 that had exterior video cameras that recorded the incident. Video from the Tesla’s hard drive showed the suspect’s vehicle, a 1996-1998 Accrual TL with chrome wheels. Video, captured from the driver’s side of the Tesla, captured the occupant’s hand pointing a gun at the victim as he passed.
The next day, October 18 around 4:30 p.m. m., a third victim called 911 to report that someone had shot him through the window while he was driving. Hers She had three of her children, one 12 years old, another 4 years old and another 9 months old with her in the car. She sustained lacerations to her face from broken glass.
The victim reported that the suspect followed her out into the center lane and drove to her side before shooting at her window. The victim said the suspect’s vehicle was an older brown sedan.
On Oct. 19, a family member of the suspect called 911 and said he was concerned about Leffall’s mental health and that he was worried he might hurt someone. Detectives searched Seattle police reporting logs and found a report from September detailing a collision involving Leffall during which he got into an argument with the other party. Leffall was driving a tan 1997 Acura TL.
Source: https://wikisoon.com/
