ISSAQUAH, Wash. – This weekend's double killings in Lake Sammamish State Park comes on the heels of a report warning about increasing gang activity in our area - even as the victims' families are speaking out to save their reputation.
Yang Keovongphet, 33, of Kent and Justin Cunningham, 30, of Seattle were killed Saturday night. Four people were injured but are expected to survive.
Investigators say they believe all the victims have ties to gangs in the Seattle area.
Urquhart said Keovongphet and Cunningham were not innocent bystanders, but were "participants."
"At least one of the persons that died was a target, because he still had a gun next to him, so he was clearly shooting," Urquhart said.
Cunningham's family says he was not affiliated with gangs and was at the park for a child's birthday party. They believe he was coming to someone's aid.
But investigators believe that party was also attended by people connected to gangs and a group with opposing gang ties picnicked about 50 yards away.
Apparently, taunts escalated and a fight broke out, then gunfire.
"I don't know if the people he was near had some affiliation. I know as a fact that he was not in any way a gang member or had any interest in becoming one," said his brother, Heath Cunningham.
As for Keovongphet, a police source says he may have been affiliated with the Crips. But Keovongphet's stepsister Sakorn Keopanya said he was not a gang member, he was just trying to be a peacemaker.
"And in the end he was the one that was shot," she said. "It's just hard to watch your family go through this. To see the heartbreak of everybody."
The sheriff's office kept the park closed for all of Sunday as detectives collected evidence and diagrammed the crime scene.
"There was a lot of gunfire, we've got bullets in Styrofoam coolers, bullet holes in trees, probably around 20 casings and still finding bullet casings as they go," said Urquhart.
Six people were taken into custody, but so far no one has been booked into jail, Urquhart said Sunday. One person was arrested on an unrelated felony warrant.
The sheriff's office reports that gang-related crime has increased 165 percent in the past 5 years, and will continue to grow. Gang experts estimate as many as 200 gangs are operating in Seattle and King County.
News of the shooting is unsettling for people who use the park, and park rangers say they've never seen anything like it.
"I would probably put that at the top I would think," said ranger Rich Benson, who has guarded the park for the last 30 years.
One family almost canceled its reunion at the park Monday. But, they decided to move it to earlier on the day.
"I felt safer coming at day time instead of at night. I wouldn't have come at night time based on the shooting," said Julie Skinner.
State park rangers carry guns and are trained enforcement officers. There have never been more than four rangers at the park, and Benson doesn't see the need for more. He believes this is an isolated incident.
"We provide a pretty good level of security here," said Benson.
A spokesperson for Washington State Parks said there are no plans to make any changes in procedures or security, but any time there is a major incident at a state park, they want to look at the results of the investigation and see if there is anything they could have done differently.
Detectives are interviewing witnesses and preparing evidence for the Crime Lab. Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at (206) 296-3311.
KING 5's Deborah Feldman, Tonya Mosley, and Tricia Manning-Smith contributed to this report.
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