36-year-old man charged after robbery, homicide near Shoreline park
A 36-year-old man suspected of shooting and killing a person in late July in Shoreline has been charged with murder.
Byron Avery Quarrles Jr. has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
According to charging documents, Quarrles is suspected of running up on a man who was parked at Richmond Highlands Park — located in the 16700 block of Linden Avenue North — opening the man’s car door and fatally shooting him within seconds.
After allegedly shooting the man, Quarrles then opened the rear driver’s side door, grabbed a bag and fled in a car with others, documents state.
Before he fled, another person with Quarrles is said to have also opened the passenger side door.
Authorities said a third person drove Quarrles and the second person to and from what officials called a robbery and shooting.
There was also a female in the passenger seat of the victim’s car at the time of the shooting, according to police records.
Investigators said that after checking the victim’s cellphone, they discovered he had visited the Tulalip Resort Casino in Snohomish County more than two hours before he was fatally shot.
After reviewing surveillance video from the casino, detectives learned that the victim had met the woman inside the casino.
She reportedly had arrived in the same Mercedes-Benz S-Class that was later seen near the murder scene, police said.
Investigators’ additional review of casino surveillance video also revealed that Quarrles and the woman were already known by detectives from previous cases, officials said.
According to police records, Quarrles’ social media accounts confirmed to detectives that he had a close relationship with the woman in the victim’s car when he was killed.
Investigators concluded that Quarrles targeted the victim and that the woman was used as bait, police said.
Des Moines police arrested Quarrles on Tuesday after spotting the Mercedes-Benz involved in the homicide on a city street.
Based on detectives’ investigation, they said evidence shows that Quarrles planned and executed the robbery, police said.
Investigator said evidence also shows that a single bullet struck the victim in the upper left shoulder and traveled down, striking his right lung, aorta and liver, which killed him.
Quarrles is said to have committed the robbery and murder while out of custody on bond for a case in Whatcom County.
As for Quarrles, he remains behind bars on $4 million bail.
Quarrles is scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 25 at the King County Courthouse, where he is to enter a plea.
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