COVINGTON, Wash. — A door security employee shot and killed a suspect during an attempted robbery at a pot shop in Covington Thursday evening.
The incident took place around 7:45 p.m. at the Euphorium Marijuana Shop, located on the 27600 block of Covington Way Southeast.
The King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) said the man was shot and killed while attempting to rob the marijuana dispensary. Interim Covington Police Chief Adam Easterbrook said the suspect was in his late teens to early 20s.
Police said detectives were able to gather statements from witnesses Thursday evening. KCSO Major Crimes detectives responded to the scene. The investigation is ongoing.
This was the second time within two days someone was killed related to a pot shop robbery. A suspect was killed by police after a pot shop robbery in Bellevue's Factoria neighborhood on Wednesday. The incident ended in a standoff in the backyard of a home. Police said the suspect was shot and killed after opening fire on police.
Although traumatic, getting robbed is quickly becoming a common experience for Washington’s dispensaries. Dozens of dispensaries have been hit in the past three months throughout Western Washington, according to robbery data compiled by marijuana shop owners. Duane Dunn, the owner of Tacoma’s Emerald Leaves, sent KING 5 video of his shop being robbed on March 14.
He said dispensaries are thought to have a lot of cash on-site, which makes them a preferred target for robbers, so shop owners have to do what’s necessary to protect themselves.
“Unless a police officer is in your parking lot, they’re not going to be able to respond that quick, and it’s not their fault, it’s because these robberies happen within 2-3 minutes,” Dunn explained. “So you have to protect yourself.”