Police said the case remains active nearly seven weeks after the Rainier Beach shooting.
SEATTLE, Wash. — Seattle police said Tuesday they arrested a juvenile male in the fatal Jan. 30 shooting of two students near Rainier Beach High School, a break in a case that shook the neighborhood after the teens were killed at a bus stop as classes let out.
The arrest marks the first major public development in a double homicide that drew citywide attention because the victims were teenagers shot in broad daylight near school grounds. Police Chief Shon Barnes said the suspect was taken into custody early Tuesday without incident, but he gave few details because the case involves a minor and remains under investigation.
Authorities said the victims, Tyjon Stewart, 18, and Traveiah Houfmuse, 17, were standing at a bus stop near Rainier Avenue South and South Henderson Street at about 4 p.m. on Jan. 30 when they were shot. Officers and Seattle firefighters tried life-saving measures, but both teens died at the scene. Investigators later said they believed the shooting was targeted and that the gunman fled on foot after stepping off a King County Metro bus. On Tuesday, Barnes said detectives had worked the case for weeks before arresting a juvenile suspect outside Seattle. “While this arrest cannot bring back the lives that were taken, it represents an important step toward accountability,” Barnes said.
Police have not named the suspect, described only as a juvenile male, and have not said where the arrest happened. Barnes said the suspect was not a student at Rainier Beach High School, though detectives believe there could have been some relationship between the suspect and the victims. He also said investigators still have not recovered the gun used in the shooting. Deputy Chief Andre Sayles said homicide detectives spent what he called endless hours gathering digital and forensic evidence and working with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to build the case. Even with the arrest, police said key facts remain unresolved, including the full motive and the exact chain of events before the gunfire.
The shooting set off weeks of grief and renewed concern about youth gun violence in southeast Seattle. Community members created a memorial near the bus stop, and more than 100 people gathered for a vigil in the days after the killings. Seattle Public Schools adjusted schedules for some schools in the area after the shooting, and Superintendent Benjamin Shuldiner visited Rainier Beach corridor schools as he began his tenure. Later, close to 100 people joined a virtual community meeting focused on student safety in Rainier Beach. The case became both a homicide investigation and a test of how city leaders, school officials and neighborhood groups would respond to fear around students traveling to and from school.
Police said the legal process now limits what they can say publicly because the suspect is a minor. Barnes said the investigation is still active, and officials are continuing to sort out the circumstances that led to the killings. The department said it has been coordinating with prosecutors, but no public charging details were released Tuesday. Barnes also said officers will keep a visible presence around Rainier Beach High School before, during and after school for the rest of the academic year. That patrol plan, he said, is meant to reassure students and families while detectives continue their work and determine whether anyone else played a role.
At Tuesday’s news conference, city leaders tied the arrest to a broader struggle over youth safety. Barnes said gun violence involving young people is one of the most painful challenges a community can face. Mayor Katie Wilson said families should be able to trust that students will get home safely at the end of the school day. School leaders also praised the work of detectives while acknowledging that an arrest does not erase the loss. In the Rainier Beach neighborhood, the case has lingered as both a criminal investigation and a personal wound, with the names of the two teens still central to memorials and community meetings weeks after the shooting.
The case stood Wednesday with one juvenile suspect under arrest, no weapon publicly recovered and detectives still seeking to fill in the remaining gaps. The next major step is expected to come as prosecutors and juvenile court officials decide what charges, if any, will be filed.
Author note: Last updated March 18, 2026.