Update: Black Diamond Shooting Was Botched Drug Deal

Update: Black Diamond Shooting Was Botched Drug Deal

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Story Published: Jun 5, 2005 at 4:59 PM PDT

Story Updated: Aug 31, 2006 at 1:57 AM PDT

By Matt Markovich

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KING COUNTY - Police now say a gun battle Saturday night in Black Diamond was a drug deal gone bad.

Detectives believe up to two dozen shots were fired. A state forensic team spent Sunday afternoon collecting clues from the rural house where the shooting happened

Neighbors are now calling it the "Shootout at Black Diamond."

The incident was first reported as a random home invasion robbery, but now police believe it was something else.

"The underlying issue that brought these parties together was a drug transaction, it was the sale of marijuana," said Commander Christopher Hurst with the Black Diamond Police Department. "How that turned into a fight where weapons were brought out we still need to be doing more investigating."

The man who owns the house saw what happened. He says three large men forced their way into his home and started yelling and fighting with his 25-year-old son and two of his son's friends.

The homeowner said the intruders fired the first shots and people took off running.

The 25-year-old man ran next door to his grandfather's house, retrieved his handgun, then returned to his own house. His father says that's when the gun battle broke out and three people were shot.

Two of the three intruders took off, but police found them a few miles away.

Two intruders remained in the hospital in serious condition Sunday with gunshot wounds. One of them may have been shot in the back as he was fleeing by the 25-year-old who lives at the house.

"When it comes to the person who went and got the gun, he obviously is going to state that he did that in self defense," said Commander Hurst, "but we really can't draw that kind of conclusion at this time."

Another man who was in the house sustained a gunshot wound to his finger. He was taken to the hospital where he was treated and released. Police say he might be the person who set up the drug deal.

Investigators tell KOMO 4 News the intruders were from Covington and Tacoma. They face charges of robbery and assault.

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