On July 30, 2016, a mass shooting occurred during a house party held by students of the University of Washington and Kamiak High School in the community of Mukilteo.
Afterwards, the gunman went upstairs to a balcony on the master bedroom, and began firing down onto two men, grazing the leg of the young man, whose parents owned the house.
Ninety minutes later, he was arrested without incident by state troopers on an interstate near Chehalis, over 100 miles (160 km) away from the crime scene.
[7] Allen Christopher Ivanov (born September 14, 1996), a 19-year-old software engineer and student at the University of Washington Bothell,[8] was identified as the suspect in the shooting.
[2] According to a LinkedIn profile, Ivanov attended Kamiak High School from 2011 to 2015, and was the founder of a company that described itself as "an open source laser tag system".
He also sent text messages to his friends, including one in Tennessee, alluding to his plans to commit a mass shooting a couple of days beforehand, calling himself a "future shooter".
[11] The victims were identified as:[1][5][9][12] After his arrest, police said Ivanov confessed to committing the shooting,[11] but initially added that it was an accident, and that he had been confused that night and therefore not thinking straight.
[4][17] On that day, Ivanov pleaded guilty to the killings, reportedly before prosecutors had made a decision on whether or not to pursue a death sentence against him.
[1][2] Governor Jay Inslee sent his condolences to the victims' families and the survivors, praised the actions of law enforcement, and declared his support for Mukilteo during the investigation.
[1][2] Another vigil was held at a local church, which was attended by 800 people, including Governor Inslee, who made a statement mentioning gun violence in the country.
Its plans were to create a permanent memorial in honor of the victims, as well as finding ways for the community to heal and move forward.
[25] On September 7, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson cited the shooting when he called on the Washington State Legislature to pass a state law barring the sales of assault weapons like the one used in the shooting, restricting magazines carrying over ten rounds, and requiring persons buying ammunition to undergo a background check, saying such a measure "will save lives".