FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — A 17-year-old boy was arrested Wednesday related to a shooting that killed a 2-year-old child in Federal Way earlier this year.
The suspect, Jayson Jack, is a relative of the 2-year-old victim. He has been charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. He is currently in jail with bail set at $5 million.
KING 5 typically does not name juvenile suspects, but is doing so in this case because he has been charged as an adult.
The Federal Way Police Department said it has had a team of detectives working for five months to arrest Jack and build a case against him to make sure he will be held accountable in court.
"Every single homicide case that we investigate is a very important case to us. Obviously, when an innocent two-year-old is sitting in a car, it elevates it just a little bit, right?" said Administrative Commander Kyle Buchanan, with the Federal Way Police Department. "He's doing nothing in this other than sitting in a car seat in the car."
On April 4, just before 10 a.m., Federal Way police officers were dispatched to an IHOP parking lot after several people called 911 to report a shooting. When officers arrived they discovered several cartridge casings from two different firearms, but no victims.
Minutes later, St. Francis Hospital called 911 to report that a 2-year-old child had been brought into the emergency room with a gunshot wound to the head. The victim, identified as SynSyr Lewis, was taken to Harborview Medical Center where he later died.
"It was really one of the most horrible crimes in our city's history," said Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell. "It was tragic and it was really, really senseless."
Police allege that Jack arrived at the IHOP that morning intending to shoot the child's father.
In an interview with police, SynSyr's father said he was waiting in the parking lot for his wife, who worked nearby, with his 1 and 2-year-old children in the car. He said a light-colored vehicle then pulled up in front of his car, and suddenly a figure got out and began shooting. Court documents state the suspect fired 15 shots through the front windshield.
The child's father said he attempted to push his children down as he fell to the floor. He then exited the vehicle and returned fire at the suspect as the suspect fled the scene. He then noticed that his 2-year-old had been shot and rushed to the hospital.
Surveillance video shows a light blue Hyundai Sonata entering the parking lot and driving slowly past the father's vehicle multiple times, before eventually coming to a stop directly in front of the father's car. The suspect was seen exiting the Sonata and firing multiple rounds into the father's vehicle before fleeing from the parking lot. The car seen in the surveillance video was found several hours after the shooting and reported stolen.
After watching the surveillance video, SynSyr's mother identified the suspect as her cousin, Jayson Jack. Jack's sister's boyfriend had a known dispute with SynSyr's father.
Upon a search of Jack's room, police found ammunition that matched the cartridges found at the shooting scene, and the same distinct sweatshirt and mask that the suspect was seen wearing in surveillance video. Phone records also suggest that Jack was tipped off the father was in the IHOP parking lot the morning of the shooting, according to court documents.
"People can't just commit a crime and think that they're not going to get caught," said Ferrell. "You commit a crime, we'll find you."
On Oct. 2, Jack was taken into custody at his Federal Way home. He was booked into the King County youth jail.
His bail is set at $5 million and his arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 17.