The suspect in a Jan. 1 shooting that left a man injured in Renton has been arrested.
At 5:17 p.m. Jan. 1, the Renton Police Department received a report that a 42-year-old man had been shot in the abdomen at 211 Morris Ave., and the suspect fled the scene in a black Nissan toward Safeway, according to King County Superior Court documents.
According to witnesses, the suspect — Dominic Muldrow-Newton, 22 — had the nickname “Audi,” and after getting into a verbal argument in a parking lot with the victim, Audi shot the man in the stomach. According to RPD spokesperson Meeghan Black, the victim is still alive.
According to a Facebook post from the RPD and documents, the department’s violent crimes unit, with help from King County Sheriff’s Office’s TAC30 SWAT Unit, arrested Audi on Jan. 3 at his mom’s apartment in Burien. He was then charged with second-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
When police searched the apartment Audi was in, two firearms were recovered, including a Walther 9mm and a Ruger 9mm. The vehicle he used to flee the scene of the shooting was located nearby and had been previously stolen in an armed carjacking.
Details of the incident
According to documents, the victim and other witnesses said that Audi stole a backpack and a pistol from the victim a few weeks prior. The victim described the pistol as a black semi-automatic Walther 9mm.
The victim said he had been looking for Audi to retrieve his belongings and then saw him when he was smoking with friends in the parking lot at 211 Morris Ave. The victim said that Audi exited his vehicle, he confronted Audi, and then an argument ensued.
“The two met face to face and verbally argued. Audi pulled a pistol out and held it in his hand. A witness described the pistol as ‘something like a dark gray Glock.’ Eventually, the victim took a half step toward Audi, and Audi shot the victim with the pistol, striking him in the stomach,” according to documents.
According to documents, the victim viewed a photo lineup and identified Audi as “1,000%” the person who shot him. The documents state that due to his conviction history, Audi should not have been in possession of a firearm at the time of the incident.
Officers then located Audi and arrested him, but then he said he wanted to speak. Audi told officers that he shot the victim, but it was in self-defense. Audi explained that the victim had been threatening to kill him and had a pistol of his own.
Audi said he pointed a gun at the victim, but he did not believe it was loaded. Audi said he intentionally pulled the trigger while the pistol was pointed at the victim, and he was hoping the sound of the unloaded pistol dry-firing would scare the victim away. He said he was surprised when the pistol fired and struck the victim.
Audi said he panicked and drove away from the scene in the stolen black 2020 Nissan Altima. He admitted to knowing the vehicle was stolen before driving it.
RPD spokesperson, Black, said every stolen or mishandled firearm off the streets is a win. She said the violent crimes unit is new, and they’re a team dedicated to helping solve and reduce violent crime.
“They have recovered dozens of guns already,” Black said.
According to the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention subject lookups portal, Audi was booked into the Regional Justice Center on Jan. 3 and remains there on a $300,000 bail. According to the portal, Audi has 15 charges in King County awaiting trial.