A 39-year-old man charged with shooting and killing two people at Les Gove Park in Auburn on July 5 pleaded not guilty July 23 to two counts of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

King County Prosecutors say Charles C. Petrich shot and killed Sara Arthur, 29, and Chaz Schmitz, 32, both of Auburn.

If convicted as charged, Petrich could spend 33 to 49½ years in prison. His bail is $4 million.

Auburn Police described what happened as follows:

“Petrich and Sara Arthur and Chaz Schmitz were at Les Gove Park. … Petrich was witnessed in a dispute with Schmitz. He obtained a .22 caliber rifle from his white Chevy S-10. He then used the rifle to shoot Sara Arthur at the base of her skull. Petrich also shot Schmitz in the chest.

According to police, Petrich then fled in his truck. Schmitz died at the scene, and Arthur was transported to Harborview Hospital Medical Center in Seattle where she died from her wounds on July 6.

According to police, Petrich is a convicted felon with second-degree assault on his record.

Arguing for Petrich’s bail, prosecutors had the following to say:

“The suspect used a firearm to shoot and kill from point-blank range, two unarmed victims. He is a convicted felon with numerous failures to appear and is transient. If released (he) he would likely flee and potentially arm himself again, posing a substantial likelihood of harm to the community.”

A case setting hearing is at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5, in courtroom GA of the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.