King County Prosecutors charged two men Monday, Oct. 19, with first degree murder in the Sept. 20 fatal shooting of Abraham Logan in downtown Des Moines, alleging they chased the unarmed man along Marine View Drive South before killing him.
Derrick Laquan Stell Jr., 29, and his uncle, Keenan Deshawn Stell, 42, also face unlawful firearm possession charges, according to documents filed in King County Superior Court.
Prosecutors allege the Sept. 20 killing was premeditated and are seeking firearm sentencing enhancements against both men.
Logan, 31, had been walking with family after leaving a nearby bar when he apparently tried to intervene verbally in an assault on another man, according to a probable cause statement by a Des Moines Police Detective.
Logan’s wife heard him say, “He’s got a gun!” before he ran north toward his parked car, the statement says. Family members told investigators they saw two men chase Logan and shoot him, then rushed to provide aid.
Prosecutors requested that Derrick Stell be held without bail, arguing that his prior convictions could make a conviction in the killing a third strike carrying a mandatory life sentence. They requested $3 million bail for Keenan Stell, the same amount prosecutors said a judge had set at his first appearance.
The charges are allegations. Both men are presumed innocent unless proved guilty.
As we previously reported, officers were dispatched about 1:54 a.m. Sept. 20 to the 22300 block of Marine View Drive South. They found Logan outside a closed auto repair business just north of that location at 22231 Marine View Drive S., where people were attempting CPR. Sadly, he died at the scene despite lifesaving efforts by emergency responders.
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified him as Abraham D. Ferrell Logan and ruled his death a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds, as we previously reported.
According to the detective’s account of surveillance footage, the confrontation began outside the All-Star Bar, where another man was pushed and punched. The detective identified both defendants as participating in that confrontation.
The footage then showed Logan running north in the center turn lane of Marine View Drive South with Keenan Stell following him, the statement says. Logan briefly turned and raised his hands while Keenan Stell pointed what appeared to be a gun toward him, according to the detective’s account.
Derrick Stell ran north along the west sidewalk, pointing an apparent handgun toward Logan, police wrote. The detective described flashes consistent with gunfire coming from Derrick Stell’s hand as Logan fell and tried to get up.
Both men continued toward Logan before moving out of the camera’s view, according to the statement.
Investigators found no weapon on Logan or in the immediate area, the statement says. Washington State Patrol investigators recovered 17 fired 9 mm shell casings from the sidewalk and driveway, along with bullet fragments and evidence of bullets striking nearby buildings.
The Detective wrote that investigators used surveillance images, booking photographs and assistance from Department of Corrections officers and a King County Sheriff’s Office crime analyst to identify the defendants.
Investigators also tracked a red Chrysler 300 seen leaving the area after the shooting. Automated license plate cameras recorded the vehicle traveling through Des Moines and later Auburn, according to the statement.
Arrest records included in the filings list Keenan Stell’s arrest in Auburn on Oct. 15 and Derrick Stell’s arrest later that day at a South Seattle address.
The firearm charges cite prior convictions that prosecutors say prohibited the men from possessing handguns: a first-degree robbery conviction for Derrick Stell and a felony domestic violence court order violation conviction for Keenan Stell.
The next court dates for both defendants are arraignments, where an initial plea is entered, scheduled for Oct. 22 at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.
