Man killed at Lake Sammamish State Park had two shooting convictions

One of two men killed Saturday when gunfire erupted at Lake Sammamish State Park was a member of a "violent" street gang when he was convicted in 1994 of shooting a man in the back, according to King County court records.

Prosecutors said Yang Keovongphet, who was 16 at the time, was a member of the Bad Side Posse when he shot a teen described as a rival gang member in Seattle. Less than a month later, Keovongphet was involved in a second shooting, according to records.

In their request for an exceptional sentence, prosecutors wrote at the time that Keovongphet was a member of "a hierarchical street gang primarily devoted to criminal activity in which a member elevates his position by committing violent acts against rival gang members."

Keovongphet, who had turned 17 just days before the second shooting, was sentenced to four years in prison. He was prosecuted as an adult.

Keovongphet, 33, of Kent, and Justin Cunningham, 30, of South Seattle, were killed Saturday night when an altercation between two groups erupted into gunfire at Lake Sammamish State Park. The King County Sheriff's Office says members of both groups have gang affiliations and is investigating whether that played a role in the shootings.

Relatives of both slain men say they were not gang members.

Investigators have recovered four guns and 25 bullet casings. The Sheriff's Office said that two of the guns were seized from a car that was stopped while leaving the park. One gun was found in a marsh area near picnic tables. The fourth was found near Cunningham's body.

Authorities hope ballistics tests will lead detectives to those responsible for the shootings. Sources close to the investigation have told The Seattle Times that Cunningham apparently fatally shot Keovongphet. It appears that someone from Keovongphet's group returned fire, killing Cunningham, sources said.

Three other people were wounded by gunfire Saturday, and a fourth was assaulted, the Sheriff's Office said. Initially, the Sheriff's Office had said four people suffered gunshot wounds.

The Sheriff's Office said three other males suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The victims were identified as a 20-year-old North Bend man, a 22-year-old Seattle man and a 16-year-old boy from Renton. All were treated at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, the Sheriff's Office said.

A fourth victim was beaten after the shootings and was treated at Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue. The Sheriff's Office did not give his age.

No arrests had been made in the shootings as of Tuesday.

The Sheriff's Office has said most members of the groups that clashed at the park were of Asian descent. Keovongphet was of Laotian descent, his stepsister Sakorn Keopanya said. Cunningham was white.

On Tuesday, Keopanya said her family did not wish to discuss the shootings. She earlier had disputed reports that Keovongphet was affiliated with a gang.

"In our culture, respect and privacy is important," she said. "People are making judgments that are wrong and hurtful to all of us. What does it help, after he's gone, for people to offer speculation and stereotypes? Just because there were a lot of Asians in one place does not mean it was an Asian gang."

Keopanya described her stepbrother to KOMO-TV as "a changed person."

According to King County court documents, Keovongphet was sentenced to four years in prison in 1994 after he pleaded guilty to the two counts of second-degree assault. Prosecutors said at the time that they were seeking a sentence above the standard range because Keovongphet was a member of a violent street gang and because of the number of victims.

On Feb. 27, 1994, when he was 16, Keovongphet shot a 15-year-old boy, described by police as a rival gang member, around 1 a.m. in the 5200 block of 42nd Avenue South.

According to charging papers, someone from Keovongphet's group yelled, "what's up, blood?" sparking an argument. Keovongphet pulled out a semiautomatic handgun and fired a round into the air and then fired several rounds at three youths, the papers say.

The victim was struck in the back, Seattle police said.

Keovongphet later told police that a few days after the shooting he sold the 9-mm handgun he had used, charging papers said.

On March 4, 1994, Keovongphet, who had turned 17 a few days earlier, shot at two men installing a car stereo in a Honda in the 4400 block of 36th Avenue South. The two men were not hit, but four windows of the vehicle were shot out, according to a Seattle police report.

A woman walking on South Genesee Street heard the gunshots, saw a large orange car speeding away and identified Keovongphet through a photo montage, according to charging papers.

On Oct. 21, 1994, King County Superior Court Judge Robert Alsdorf sentenced Keovongphet to four years in prison for the shootings. He was given credit for 129 days served. The sentence was nearly twice that of a standard range sentence, court paperwork said.

Cunningham had no prior felony convictions, prosecutors said.

Seattle Times staff reporter Christine Clarridge and news researcher Miyoko Wolf contributed to this report, which includes information from Times archives.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com