Zula Mehari Werede was 29 when he was shot and killed in Valley Ridge Park in SeaTac, Washington, on July 5, 2019. He had come to the United States from Eritrea and was working two jobs to support family back home. According to witnesses, a man drove through the park parking lot in a Dodge Charger, used a racial slur, and then opened fire while children were nearby; Werede was struck multiple times and died at the scene.

Police identified the shooter as 26-year-old Eson Herr, who reportedly mistook Werede for someone involved in a conflict from a year earlier. Herr fled but was arrested in Federal Way on July 8, 2019; his girlfriend, Latecia Fortune, was also arrested. Herr was charged with first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm; Fortune faced a charge of first-degree felony rendering criminal assistance for allegedly helping Herr evade capture and conceal evidence. The local Eritrean community rallied to support Werede’s family and raise funds to repatriate his body for burial.

Does anyone have information about Werede’s time in the Seattle area or about witnesses who saw the vehicle in the park that night?