A Renton man has been charged with second-degree murder for allegedly shooting Marcus Golden on March 30 at the Mosaic Hills Apartments in Kent.
Darian Dion Downing, 27, is scheduled to be arraigned April 29 at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. He also has been charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. Downing remained in custody April 27 at the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle with bail set at $3 million, according to jail records.
Golden, 28, went to investigate sounds of a woman screaming and crying and a man and a woman yelling inside an apartment above his unit, according to court documents. Kent Police received a 911 call at about 1:43 a.m. on March 30 to report a dispute in the apartment.
When officers arrived they found Golden laying on the ground floor stairwell between the first and second floor of the 1B building. He died at the scene of a gunshot wound to the chest.
Downing fled the scene after the shooting, according to charging papers. Kent Police arrested Downing April 13 as he left his mother’s apartment in Renton. Detectives tried to question him but he requested a lawyer and the interview ended.
A roommate of Golden called police about the fight between a man and a woman in the apartment above them. He said Golden left the apartment to head toward the unit to do something about the dispute. The roommate followed Golden but was suddenly pushed back down the stairs as Downing reportedly came out of the unit and down the stairs toward them.
Downing then allegedly pulled a gun and shot Golden before running from the building.
Detectives talked to the woman who was in the apartment with Downing. She was reluctant to provide information but eventually stated his name. She later said they had argued about using his vehicle, a Chevrolet Camaro that was still in the parking lot.
Police used cellphone records, video surveillance from the apartment complex and witness statements to connect Downing to the shooting.
Downing also has been charged in Pierce County for first-degree robbery, second-degree kidnapping, second-degree assault and theft of a firearm for a June 15, 2020 incident. He posted $75,000 bail in that case.
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