A 17-year-old has pleaded not guilty to shooting and killing a two-year-old boy in the parking lot of an IHOP in Federal Way.
The event, which happened in April, shocked the neighborhood and broke the hearts of a family.
Thursday morning, the courtroom was full of family and friends. Many of them were wearing hoodies and beanies with little Synsyr Lewis’s name and picture on them. When 17-year-old Jason Jack stood in front of the judge, it was clear how serious the charges were.
During the meeting, Judge David Keenan asked Mr. Jack, “Do you understand that you are being charged with murder in the first degree?”
Jack was caught after months of police work. He is said to have been involved in the shooting because of surveillance video, clothes, and weapons found in his home. Even with these results, it is still not clear why the violent attack happened.
Police say that the shot that killed someone was an ambush meant to kill Synsyr’s father, Tyrell Lewis. The child was sleeping in his car seat when Jack opened fire.
He was not involved in the crime. According to court papers, investigators say Jack followed the family’s car around in a stolen car before firing 15 shots into the windshield and killing Synsyr. His father and brother, who is one, were also in the car and lived.
During the meeting, Jack’s defense team was able to stop the media from filming his face. Judge Keenan said this, “I do find that identity is potentially an issue in this case and that filming the defendant’s face in this proceeding could undermine the right to present a defense.”
Court papers also say that the killing might have been caused by a fight in the family, since Synsyr’s mother said that Jack was her cousin.
As soon as the meeting was over, the tensions spread outside the courtroom, where family members could be heard arguing.
One person yelled, “Am not no way we are still talking about this!” to show how angry they were about the shooting that happened six months ago.
Jack is still being held on a $5 million bail. Some of the charges against him are first-degree murder for killing Synsyr and two counts of attempted first-degree murder for attacking Tyrell Lewis and his 1-year-old brother.
The next court date is set for the middle of November, and the trial is set to start on December 9.