Teenager Charged In Shooting Death At Lincoln Park

King County prosecutors have filed second-degree murder charges against a 16-year-old West Seattle youth they say committed an execution-style slaying in Lincoln Park last July.

Han Hoai Lam will be arraigned Tuesday on charges stemming from the July 10 shooting of Edgar Flores-Montealegre, 20, of Tukwila. The victim was shot once in the head.

The shooting, which occurred in front of a large number of youths, including members of Lam's alleged street gang, went uncharged until a close friend of his told police Lam was the shooter.

Two other friends then allegedly identified Lam also.

Police then showed a photo montage to girls who were with Flores-Montealegre, and two of them positively identified Lam as the shooter, senior deputy prosecutor Kristin Richardson said in documents filed yesterday.

Charges state Flores-Montealegre was at the large West Seattle park with several friends at 1 a.m. July 10 when they encountered about 20 people in Lam's gang.

Richardson said evidence suggests Lam's group mistakenly thought Flores-Montealegre was part of a rival gang and Lam allegedly walked up to him with a .38-caliber handgun and shot him in the back of the head from close range.

Witnesses claim Lam yelled, "Who wants to go next?" before running away.

Flores-Montealegre died instantly.

Seattle Police received only basic descriptions of the shooter, and other witnesses were too afraid to cooperate, Richardson said.

The investigation stalled until February when youths who knew Lam began cooperating with police.

Under a 1-year-old law targeting youth violence, Lam has been charged directly in King County Superior Court despite still being a juvenile.

Prosecutors say he has a lengthy record of theft-related crimes and are asking he be held on $250,000 bail.