Todd C. Smith was 18 and a senior at Arlington High School when he was shot in the early hours of June 5, 2021, five days before his scheduled graduation. He had attended a graduation party near the South Fork of the Stillaguamish River the night before and, after leaving the gathering, went for a run. At some point he approached a house in the 19800 block of 106th Avenue NE; the homeowner says he believed Smith was an intruder, warned him while stating he was armed, and then fired when Smith allegedly continued advancing through a sliding glass door. Smith suffered two gunshot wounds and later died at a local hospital. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death gunshot wounds and the manner homicide.

No arrests were made and the homeowner cooperated with the investigation. Because the teenager was related to a sheriff’s deputy, the Everett Police Department took over the probe. Friends questioned the self-defense account, noting Smith’s small stature, around 5 feet 6 inches and 140 pounds, and saying he was unarmed and kindhearted. Hundreds gathered at Smokey Point Community Church to remember him and his sister walked across the stage at graduation in his honor.

Did anyone at the party or nearby that night see what happened after Todd left the gathering?