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Crime & Safety

'Hair Trigger' on Gun Led to Shooting That Killed Enumclaw Girl, Papers Say

Ruger had been manipulated by James Radtke's grandfather, leading to the death of Kelsey Carter, according to documents.

A “hair trigger” on a gun that was a family heirloom of James Radtke’s recklessly caused the shooting death of 16-year-old Kelsey Carter of Enumclaw Dec. 11, 2010, charging papers say.

Kelsey was sitting on Radtke’s lap in the basement of a home where they were staying when the Ruger went off, according to King County
charging papers obtained by Patch through a public records request.

The Dec. 13, 2010, autopsy by Dr. Aldo Fusaro of the medical examiner’s office says the bullet entered the outside of her left elbow, went through her torso and exited out her back.

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Radtke is charged with first-degree manslaughter in the case. His next court appearance at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent is Sept. 12. He is out on $100,000 bail. He has pleaded not guilty and has been ordered to stay away from Kelsey's grave and her family.

The .41 caliber “Ruger Blackhawk” revolver originally was purchased by Ratke’s grandfather in the mid-1970s, court papers say. His
grandfather apparently altered the gun so that once the revolver was cocked, “you could blow on the trigger, and it would go off,” Radtke told a detective.

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King County deputies actually had been to the house where Kelsey was killed earlier that day after receiving a phone call from Kelsey’s mom. Christy Doll had reported her daughter as a runaway weeks earlier. She learned where her daughter was and called deputies to have her picked up.  Doll saw Kelsey at around 5:40 p.m. on the porch of the home at 33904 S.E. Green River Headworks Road, papers say.

Deputies Erik Thompson and Whitney Richmyer went to the
house but homeowner Josh Wilson denied Kelsey was there.  When the deputies talked to Radtke he said he had not seen Kelsey for three weeks, and that she was his babysitter but not his girlfriend. The probable cause papers go on to say that Kelsey actually was
there, in the basement.

Since Kelsey’s mom was outside, Radtke decided he and Kelsey
would wait until dark then walk along railroad tracks to the Cumberland area to avoid detection. To protect them, he decided to get the Ruger out of the gun safe, load it with 6 rounds and carry it in a western-style tie-down holster, papers say.

Later, while sitting together on the floor, the gun became
uncomfortable so he grabbed to adjust it when it unexpectedly fired, according to the documents.  When he realized Kelsey was shot, he yelled for help. Wilson called 9-1-1 and witness Donald Thompson carried Kelsey  to his truck and drove her to the hospital in Enumclaw, where she died about 45 minutes later at 8:26 p.m.

When Radtke, 25, was interviewed a few hours later by detectives he admitted that he and Kelsey were involved in a sexual relationship after having met four to five months earlier when she had babysat for his kids.

On Dec. 13, at the regional justice center, detectives had Radtke reenact the shooting. The investigator decided it was highly unlikely
the revolver was fired while holstered, charging papers say.

The other key evidence that led to charges being filed seven months after the shooting , and Radtke’s eventual arrest July 19, came from forensic scientist Rick Wyant of the Washington State Patrol
Crime Laboratory. He explained to lead detective John Pavlovich that the hammer on the gun had to be cocked for it to fire.

Wyant tried to get the gun to fire using four scenarios, the papers say. He found the Ruger would not fire without the hammer being cocked
because it would take three pounds of pressure instead of one-quarter of a pound of pressure.

The charging papers conclude: “In summary, the revolver would not fire by applying pressure to the back of the hammer while cocked or
by striking the cylinder while the hammer was cocked (thereby eliminating unintentional discharge under these circumstances)…The hammer would have to be cocked and the trigger depressed fully. It could not have discharged unless physically manipulated by Radtke.”

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