WHITE CENTER DOUBLE MURDER: King County Sheriff’s Office identifies suspect and asks for help finding him
Two and a half weeks after the double murder in downtown White Center, the King County Sheriff’s Office has identified a suspect and is asking for help finding him. The photo and announcement are just in:
King County Sheriff’s Detectives are asking for the public’s help locating a man who is wanted for shooting and killing two men in White Center earlier this month.
Merle Charles Buchanan, aka Chucky, 26, is wanted for 2 counts of 1st-Degree Murder for shooting and killing 51-year-old Jose Angel Garcia and 45-year-old Paul Victor Tapia outside of Club Taradise in the 9800 block of 16th Ave SW on January 6th.
Around 1 am on January 6th, deputies responded to the area after receiving multiple reports of a shooting outside of the club. When deputies arrived they located the two victims in the parking lot. Garcia died at the scene and Tapia was transported to Harborview Medical Center, where he later died.
During the investigation, detectives identified the suspect in the shootings as Buchanan. Buchanan is known to frequent Burien, Renton and Seattle and detectives believe he is still in the area.
Buchanan is 5’9” and 195 lbs. In addition to the murder warrants, he also has a Felony Domestic Violence No Contact Order Warrant. He should be considered armed and dangerous. If you see Buchanan or know of his location, please do not approach him. You can call 911 or you can remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 by calling Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
The court documents related to the no-contact order say that hours before the shooting, he assaulted a former girlfriend while giving her a ride from Skyway to her home in White Center. She got out of the car in Top Hat and called police. Those documents say that Buchanan’s last-known address is in Auburn. Meantime, we are checking with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to see if there are any documents on file related to the double-murder case.
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January 25th, 2018 at 11:27 pm
And why hasn’t Taradise been shut down again??!
January 26th, 2018 at 5:25 pm
I know, right?! I mean there were NO shootings in White Center before the cafe opened. Why stop there? Let’s charge them with the double murder, too!
(INSERT WORLD’S LARGEST EYE ROLL HERE)
January 28th, 2018 at 12:38 pm
That was a very incorrect statement. I suggest checking your facts before making such claims. Also, do your research on Taradise. They are a family owned small business with a motto of inclusion, community, and a safe space and would never condone such behavior as what occurred outside the establishment. This man had no connection with Taradise and was not even in the bar before the shooting. The other shooting that occurred outside Taradise some months ago has nothing to do with an argument that happened in the Taradise bathroom (as reported by locla news) but was actually a planned assasination. The man who committed the crime knew the victim and it had nothing to do with the women arguing. I hate to see a small local business losing customers and reputation when they did nothing wrong. The local news is mostly to blame for suggesting their involvement before checking there facts.
January 26th, 2018 at 2:13 pm
Why should Taras be shut down because of what this SOB did? Should we shut down Alki because there are shootings there every summer?
February 15th, 2018 at 12:05 am
And should we shut down Bartell’s? Murders happen outside there too! And don’t forget Beveridge Place Pub!
It really stinks of racism, ya’ll