Man charged with murder connected to Shoreline robbery

SHORELINE, Wash. (AP) — A 36-year-old man was charged Friday with first-degree murder in connection with a robbery in Shoreline last month, King County prosecutors said.

Byron Quarrles is accused of shooting a man to death on July 29 at Richmond Highlands Park. A judge set bail at $4 million. He had not been assigned a lawyer as of Friday evening, the Seattle Times reported.

According to probable cause documents, Quarrles shot the victim seconds after he had opened the driver’s-side door of his car at about 8:30 a.m. that day. Quarrles allegedly then opened the passenger-side door, grabbed a bag and left in another vehicle.

A woman in the victim’s vehicle walked away after the shooting and did not call the police, court documents say.

Detectives gathered video surveillance that showed the victim meeting the woman in a casino. Separate footage shows the same woman arriving at the casino in the vehicle Quarrles used to leave the park. Social media accounts confirmed Quarrles knew the woman.

Detectives concluded that Quarrles and his accomplices targeted the man for robbery, according to court documents. Investigators are still working to determine each person’s role in the robbery.

Quarrles was arrested on Tuesday after a Des Moines police officer spotted the vehicle used in the fatal robbery, according to court documents.

Prosecutors also charged Quarrles with first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.