An 18-year-old Federal Way resident is the second person to be charged in connection with a deadly shooting that took place during a house party in Pierce County on March 29, which resulted in two fatalities and four others wounded.
Christopher Lee Cobb, who previously attended Todd Beamer High School in Federal Way, was formally charged with first-degree assault on April 21, according to the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. He is accused of participating in the same violent incident for which 17-year-old Isaiah Davion Williams — also a former student at Todd Beamer — was charged as an adult with two counts of first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Deadly Shooting Captured on Video
The violence erupted just after midnight at a home on the 17000 block of 25th Avenue Court East. According to court documents, surveillance footage captured Williams shooting 15-year-old Joaquin Ramirez in the chest. Immediately after the initial shots, 19-year-old Hector Gonzalez-Valdez returned fire at Williams, who had fallen to the ground. Gonzalez-Valdez attempted to flee but was struck by additional gunfire. Both Ramirez and Gonzalez-Valdez later died of gunshot wounds to the chest, which the Pierce County Medical Examiner ruled as homicides.
Despite earlier signs of conflict between Ramirez and Williams during the party, video footage reportedly showed them reconciling before the shooting. Just about a minute after their apparent resolution, Williams began firing, the documents state.
Cobb Accused of Firing at Victim During Chaos
As the chaos unfolded, Cobb was allegedly seen on video running and discharging a weapon in the direction of Gonzalez-Valdez. Prosecutors say Cobb intentionally aimed to cause serious harm.
Both Ramirez and Gonzalez-Valdez were found with firearms. Ramirez had a gun tucked into his waistband when he was discovered dead at the scene, while Gonzalez-Valdez had a firearm in his pocket when he was evaluated by police before being rushed to a hospital. Despite emergency surgery, Gonzalez-Valdez did not survive.
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In total, six people were shot, including the two fatalities.
Cobb Identified and Arrested Weeks Later
Authorities say Cobb was identified through video evidence and photographic comparison. Investigators learned that Cobb had been expelled from Todd Beamer High School for bringing a firearm to campus, and at the time of the shooting, he was enrolled in online classes.
Detectives, working with a Federal Way police officer, tracked Cobb to an apartment on Campus Drive. He was placed under surveillance and eventually taken into custody without incident on April 17 near 287th Street and Soundview Drive South in Des Moines.
Cobb’s bail was set at $100,000. As of now, he is not listed as being in custody in Pierce or King County jails. Meanwhile, Williams remains in juvenile detention at Remann Hall in Tacoma, with bail reduced from $2 million to $1 million.
