Shooting at casino

Three suspects in a shooting at the Little Creek Casino Resort in Shelton on April 3 led multiple law enforcement agency officers on a high-speed chase, ending with their arrest in Thurston County.

Roberto Evans, 22, Austin McCord, 19, and a 17-year-old juvenile were arrested in connection with the shooting that happened in the casino’s parking garage, wounding Damien Castellane, 21, and Roger Allen Turner Ford, 27, according to a Mason County Sheriff’s Office probable cause document.

A third person, Malique Eckstein, 20, was “scared but uninjured,” Detective M. Ledford wrote.

The shooting happened just before 3 p.m.

Casino surveillance captured the shooting and showed “a silver 1996 2dr Chevy Tahoe … enter the parking garage and head northbound to the second level as the white Infiniti, occupied by Roberto, Austin and [juvenile] were passing the Tahoe in the opposite direction to exit the structure. As the vehicles passed the white Infiniti brake lights briefly illuminated and numerous gun shots were fired from the Infiniti at the Tahoe and its occupants. The occupant(s) of the Infiniti continued to shoot at the Tahoe until they rounded corner to exit the parking structure,” the probable cause document states.

Squaxin Island Tribal Police immediately responded, according to the document.

Squaxin Officer Harrold said he heard the gunshots and saw a white Infiniti speeding away, so he followed the vehicle, calling in the license plate.

MCSO jumped into the pursuit, with help from the Olympia Police Department, Thurston County Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Patrol.

A Facebook group monitoring the chase, Thurston Co. Scanner, News & Weather Blog, posted updates of the pursuit-in-progress:

The vehicle has entered Thurston County and has exited Black Lake Boulevard.

3:09 p.m. Passing 118th now, approaching Littlerock Road Southwest. Speed 91 mph.

3:10 p.m. Vehicle on 123 Avenue now, in oncoming traffic, no additional traffic on the roadway.

3:11 p.m. Blew the stop sign, north on Littlerock Road Southwest now. 95 mph.

3:12 p.m. Littlerock Road Southwest and 73rd Avenue Southwest. Setting spikes. Tumwater Police Department is responding to assist.

WSP’s plane Smokey is in the air tracking.

3:15 p.m. Vehicle is pulling over, units requesting emergency traffic. Littlerock Road is completely shut down at Tumwater Boulevard.

3:18 p.m. 3 detained.

Officers said they recovered over 20 spent shell casings at the shooting scene and two more spent shell casings in the Infiniti.

“Due to the number of rounds fired in such a short time from a moving vehicle and the location of the bullet impacts it is more likely than not that there were multiple shooters and bullets were being fired from the driver and passenger side of the Infiniti towards the occupants of the Tahoe,” according to the probable cause document.

Eckstein told police “he was looking out of the window towards U.S. 101. He heard several gunshots and ducked down telling Damien to drive as the bullets impacted their vehicle. Malique said Damien told him he couldn’t drive because he was shot.”

Eckstein said he returned “one gunshot,” according to the document.

Castellane was shot in both legs and was taken to Saint Peter’s Hospital in Olympia for treatment and Ford was shot in his left leg and taken to Mason General Hospital for surgery, court documents state.

Evans and McCord are in Mason County jail and the juvenile is being held in Mason County Juvenile detention. All three have not been charged.

Mason County Prosecuting Attorney Michael Dorcy did not respond to the Journal’s question asking if the juvenile will be charged as an adult if he is charged by press time.