Two suspects have been arrested and charged with first-degree murder for the Feb. 5, 2025, Auburn shooting death of a 19-year-old man.

On March 19, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Zaire Orr, 18, and a 15-year-old for the murder of William McKinley, 19. According to court documents, the murder occurred during a marijuana sale that turned into a robbery.

According to documents, McKinley was selling marijuana over Instagram with his girlfriend when Orr, the 15-year-old and another 16-year-old individual (who has not yet been charged) approached them to make the sale before attempting to rob them. Documents state that Orr then shot and killed McKinley after McKinley laughed at Orr and began to drive away after he attempted to rob him.

Orr was booked into the King County Correctional Facility on March 14 on $3 million bail and awaits his arraignment on April 2. The 15-year-old was charged as a juvenile, as is standard for defendants under age 16 who are charged with murder.

KCPAO spokesperson Casey McNerthney said the 15-year-old had a hearing on March 20. At that hearing, prosecutors asked for a hearing to address the potential for the case to be moved to adult court with the judge’s approval.

The next hearing is a status conference scheduled for June, McNerthney said. After the status conference, prosecutors and the defense will present their arguments to the judge, and the judge will then decide whether the case will be in adult court.

McNerthney said the 16-year-old, who has not yet been charged, is not in police custody, and the case has not been referred to King County prosecutors. If investigators do refer the case, prosecutors will decide whether to file charges, McNerthney said.

Details of the case according to charging documents

Prosecutors allege that the murder occurred at an apartment complex at 1921 22nd Way Northeast, Auburn. McKinley’s girlfriend, referred to as SL in charging documents, said they had been selling marijuana over Instagram, and before the shooting, they had met the suspects at the same location to sell them marijuana a few days prior.

SL said that during the last sale, all three suspects approached McKinley’s car window to buy the marijuana, but this time, two stood by her window while the third, armed with a gun, stood by McKinley’s. SL said the other two suspects opened SL’s car door, and she raised her hands and left the marijuana in her lap before the suspect at McKinley’s window began to demand the marijuana.

“The armed suspect demanded the marijuana, saying something to the effect of, ‘You don’t want to get shot over some weed, do you?’” McKinley then put the car in drive and as he attempted to drive away, the suspect with the gun shot him in the head, documents state. “The vehicle then crashed into a generator enclosure west of their parking spot, and the suspects fled the scene.”

Documents state that law enforcement found four spent 9mm cartridges on the ground at the crime scene, though a surveillance camera captured audio of five shots. After the gunshots were heard, there were what appeared to be the sounds of a car crash, followed by a female screaming.

That surveillance footage then captured three people, wearing clothes that the suspects are believed to have been wearing, running to a house south of the crime scene. The house was about 0.1 miles away from where the alleged murder occurred, according to documents.

Prosecutors allege that video footage after the shooting shows the three suspects fleeing the home south of the crime scene. They left behind the clothes, which they were believed to be wearing during the crime, in a plastic bag, documents state. A person who was at the home brought the bag of clothes to the police. Police then matched Ring camera footage to each suspect by confirming their identities and then matching the clothes they were given, according to documents.

The person who had the bag of clothes said that the two others who were at the home when the three suspects returned said that Orr turned off all the lights and told everyone to be quiet or he would kill them. The two others who were in the home said that Orr shot McKinley because he laughed at him and didn’t take him seriously when he tried to rob him.

Orr was later tracked to a home in Burien, where he was arrested on March 14. The 15-year-old suspect was also tracked to a friend’s grandparents’ home in Kent and arrested on March 14.