Suspect Died From One Shot To Head

The man accused of fatally stabbing his mother and nephew Friday - and later beating another woman to death - was officially identified yesterday by the King County Medical Examiner's Office as Lonnie Cedric Davis.

He died of a gunshot wound to the head, the office said.

The positive identification came two days after a rampage that left a trail of victims from Brier to Shoreline and ended when a law-enforcement officer's round killed Davis, 21, in a home in which he had barricaded himself.

Authorities said they were taking yesterday off before trying to learn what could have sparked such a fury in the troubled young man - a fury his former neighbors and acquaintances say belied all they knew about him.

"Lonnie would come by and help me bring in the groceries, and he would just visit and check on everyone," said Sharon Williams, who lives next door to Davis' sister, Shelonda Davis.

Sheila Lindsey, 46, their mother, and Shelonda Davis' son, Kahari Prince, 18 months, were among the victims, according to police.

"He was a nice quiet person - not the kind of person who would raise his voice," Williams said yesterday. "Lonnie was a good person, a really good person, and I just don't know what happened to him. I guess anybody can snap."

The Rev. Laverne Hall of Mount Zion Baptist Church, where Davis attended classes as a boy, said she still can't understand what happened.

"I remember Lonnie very well. He was a delight to be around. He was intelligent and enthused about learning. We didn't have any problems with Lonnie."

Davis holed himself up in the Shoreline house he randomly chose after fatally stabbing his mother and nephew in their Brier home around noon Friday, Brier Police Chief Gary Minor said.

Autopsies for the two wouldn't be completed until tomorrow, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office said yesterday.

Kahari was found in an upstairs bedroom, surrounded by blankets and toys, stabbed in the chest. His grandmother was found in a hall just outside the boy's room, stabbed several times in the chest and stomach with a 3-inch kitchen knife.

Police think Davis then drove his mother's Honda south from Brier on Friday afternoon. Weaving wildly through the holiday-weekend traffic on Interstate 5 at speeds approaching 100 mph, Davis crashed into a motorcyclist in Shoreline, according to the State Patrol.

The motorcycle rider, Anthony Venegas, 64, of Everett, lost part of his leg as a result of the accident. He was in satisfactory condition last night at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Davis then dashed on foot into a nearby neighborhood, where he beat one woman to death and left another woman with a broken neck before barricading himself in the Shoreline house of Fred Westphal, according to police.

Killed was Erma Ruth Spence, 63, a retired nurse. Badly beaten was Irene Hilton, 82, who remained in serious condition yesterday at Harborview, according to hospital officials.

After evacuating the neighborhood and closing schools and roads, police surrounded the house for several hours to ensure the suspect was alone. Davis apparently tried to flee but retreated after authorities surrounded the house, King County sheriff's spokesman John Urquhart said.

Before it was over, the barricaded gunman fired dozens of rounds at police, wounding King County sheriff's Deputy Diana Russell.

Russell, 45, who was hit by flying glass and suffered a skull fracture, possibly when a bullet ricocheted inside the car, was in satisfactory condition yesterday at Harborview.

The sniper then shot Davis with one shot from a .308-caliber rifle, Sheriff Dave Reichert said.

Brier Police Chief Minor said Brier detectives finished their investigation of the Lindsey home Saturday and were taking the day off yesterday. Minor said police now will begin to search for witnesses to shed light on the motives behind the slayings.

Authorities earlier had hedged on whether Davis was the same man involved in the Brier slayings, the traffic accident and the Shoreline killing. But Minor said yesterday they think Davis was the same man in all the cases.

Meanwhile, King County sheriff's authorities concluded their investigation yesterday of the Shoreline crime scenes, including the Westphal home, Urquhart said.

Urquhart said detectives likely will return to the investigation tomorrow. An inquest into Davis' death, which is routine in all police-related shootings, also will begin soon, Urquhart said.

It was unclear how many shots sheriff's deputies fired at Davis. It's possible that Lynnwood police also fired rounds, Urquhart said.

Law-enforcement officials from multiple jurisdictions responded to the rampage Friday, including the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, Lynnwood police, Seattle police, Mountlake Terrace police, Brier police, the King County Sheriff's Office, the State Patrol and Shoreline police (whose officers are King County sheriff's deputies contracted out to Shoreline).

Urquhart, meanwhile, said that no motive had been established but that whatever triggered Davis to kill his mother and nephew is central to the day's events.

Family members yesterday declined to talk about the slayings.

Court records show that Davis has a substantial criminal record, including drug and weapon arrests. At the time of Friday's killings, Davis was wanted for an outstanding $10,000 felony warrant, stemming from a drug charge, Urquhart said. The details of that charge were not immediately known.

Arthur Santana's phone message number is 206-515-5684. His e-mail address is asantana@seattletimes.com

Ronald K. Fitten's phone message number is 206-464-3251. His e-mail address is rfitten@seattletimes.com