Kent Man Arrested In Connection With December Slaying of Enumclaw Teen

A bail hearing was held this afternoon for a 25-year-old Kent man arrested Tuesday in connection with the shooting death of a teenage girl last December in the Enumclaw area.

The man was taken into custody at the Regional Justice Center in Kent on investigation of manslaughter after detectives asked him to come in to discuss the case. Bail was set at $100,000.

Formal charges are expected to be filed by Thursday, said Dan Donohoe, spokesman for the King County Prosecutor's Office.

The shooting of 16-year-old Kelsey Carter took place shortly after 8 p.m. on Dec. 11 in the 33900 block of Southeast Green River Headworks Road.

Occupants of the residence transported Carter to Enumclaw Regional Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Carter had been reported as a runaway to Enumclaw Police on Oct. 19.

According to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office, on the night of the shooting, the girl’s mother called 911 to report her daughter was with her 25-year-old boyfriend and had been seen smoking outside a residence. Before deputies arrived, two vehicles left the home; it was unknown whether Carter was in one of the cars.

Three men at the house were interviewed, including Carter’s boyfriend, but they said she was not there. Deputies were not granted permission to enter the residence to look for the teen.

The shooting reportedly occurred about two and a half hours later.