Federal Way police are still working to solve the three “unprecedented” murders that occurred within 48 hours in early May, police department officials said.
“To date, no suspects have been arrested in any of the four [total] unsolved homicides, and none of the victims are known to have any affiliation with gangs,” said Federal Way Police Department spokeswoman Cathy Schrock in an email. “During active investigations of this significance, it is critical to be proactive of current leads to ensure the integrity of the investigation.”
Schrock said the police department has put in 700 hours of patrol targeting gun violence since May 10 to maintain a presence in the city.
With the police department down seven of their authorized 131 positions, the department has shifted special operations and traffic units to patrols.
Five patrol officers were moved to the detective unit to work on the unsolved murder cases and the department has entry-level interviews scheduled for next week.
Police Chief Andy Hwang said the candidates who made lateral moves will be ready as early as July after their field training program, but entry-level candidates take much longer. There’s currently a waiting list to go to an academy, which lasts about five months, and then there’s another four to five months of training.
“You’re investing well over a year to get him or her out on the road,” Hwang said at a Tuesday council meeting, adding that he believes the department will have all 131 positions filled by the end of the year.
As for the unsolved murders, Hwang reiterated that the department is putting a “tremendous” amount of resources into the investigation and are following up on “every possible lead.”
Hwang said at a recent Violence Prevention Coalition meeting that a lot of overtime was going out and that the department will “never stop working these cases.”
“I certainly don’t want to say too much about the investigation, but we are following up on some viable leads and we are hopeful that one of these leads will crack the case,” he said at the council meeting. “We’re also counting on citizen tips. Some tips are coming in and we’re asking citizens to continually provide us with information.”
Schrock said each unsolved homicide is unique and have no obvious connection.
“A large amount of evidence has been collected in each of the four homicides and submitted to the Washington State Crime Lab, and all advanced forensic techniques are being applied,” she said. “Evidence testing can take between 60-90 days for processing before any results are available for analysis by detectives.”
The police department has worked with the King County Prosecutor’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Washington State Patrol.
While the department has received more than 100 tips from the community through Crime Stoppers and www.safecityfw.com, police say they welcome more.
Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound is offering a $17,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in Adam Gutierrez’s homicide, which occurred May 10. A $1,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to arrests in the homicides of Jeffrey McLaren on April 3, Alex Kelley on May 9 and Frank Cohens on May 10.
