The 18-year-old who is accused of shooting another teenager on the Lake Wilderness Trail in Maple Valley on Tuesday is being held on $250,000 bail, according to information provided by the King County Prosecutor’s Office.

While walking on the trail, a 19-year-old man and his 16-year-old girlfriend encountered two 18-year-old men, which led to an argument over gang affiliation according to the probable cause document sent to the Reporter by the prosecutor’s office.

The 19 year old accused one of the men of belonging to a “crip” gang and they argued. The other man the pair encountered on the trail stepped in and said he was armed “then showed him that he was carrying a pistol on his waist,” the probable cause document stated.

The 18 year old with the weapon “then pointed the handgun at (the victim) and told him to leave at a count of three.”

When he reached the count of three, he fired at the victim, striking him in the neck. Initial reports at the scene described the 19 year old’s injury as a “through and through” to the shoulder.

The documents state that the bullet passed through the man then struck the teenage girl who was standing behind him.

The shooter was apprehended 17 minutes later and positively identified, the documents stated, who after being read his Miranda rights admitted to the arresting officer that he had intentionally shot the victim and “he had taken the pistol from his family home earlier” on Tuesday.

King County Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. John Urquhart said the shooter and the other man were caught northeast of the scene of the incident at Rock Creek Elementary School.

Prosecutor’s office spokesman Dan Donohoe said in an e-mail the deadline for filing charges is Monday, Jan. 3.

“A second suspect, an 18-year-old man, was arrested yesterday, but not booked,” Donohoe said.

Dale Martens, who lives near an entrance to the trail in the Katesridge neighborhood, said he has just pulled up about five minutes after the shooting happened.

A neighbor told him that there were some kids shooting off fireworks on the trail again so he walked over to survey the scene.

“A lady came running across the park asking me what the street number was,” Martens said, explaining that the woman had called 911 for help.

Urquhart said the call came into dispatchers at 1:31 p.m.

As he approached the park next to his house and the trail, the 25 year Air Force veteran said one person standing up while two people appeared to be laying on the ground near the trail entrance.

He tried to assist the victims, Martens said, but Sheriff’s deputies arrived shortly thereafter and asked him to put his hands up. After determining he was not involved, police allowed Martens to go back to his house, where he watched the action.

“Two medics came down the trail … to help the wounded on the ground,” Martens said. “She appeared to be hit on the side of the head and he was hit on the shoulder.”

Martens said he wasn’t surprised by the shooting as he has observed what he described as “suspicious activities” on the trail late at night.

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