CAPTURED: King County double murder suspect, Merle Buchanan, arrested



FUGITIVE CAPTURED March 2, 2018 --
Double murder suspect, Merle Buchanan, was arrested and booked into the King County Jail on Friday.

He's being held without bail.

FUGITIVE WANTED IN KING COUNTY February 2, 2018 --
Wearing T-shirts in memory of Jose Garcia, his daughter and ex-wife have a lot of unanswered questions after the father of four and grandfather to two with one on the way was murdered along with Paul Tapia outside Club Taradise in White Center on January 6th.

Angela Salazar-Garcia and Adelita Ortiz-Garcia speak with WMW host David Rose



 

"I think I am still just in a state of shock of it all," said daughter Angela Salazar-Garcia. King County Sheriff's detectives have identified the suspect as 26-year-old Merle Charles Buchanan aka 'Chucky'.

"We want this guy off the street. He's already killed two people. We don't know at this time what the exact motive was but I can tell you that we're worried that me might do the same to others," said Sgt. Cindi West.

Garcia and Tapia were at the café for a party for a coworker.

"It's really weird that that's the place that he died because that's not my dad's scene." said Salazar-Garcia.

When officers responded to a call of multiple gunshots, they found Garcia dead at the scene.

"What possessed the guy to just pull out a gun and shoot the two people who were in front of him and run like he had no care in the world," said Salazar-Garcia.

Paul Tapia or 'Pablo' as his mom calls him died later at Harborview Medical Center.

Paul Tapia



"To meet him was to like him. He was kind and compassionate, loved his Broncos and barbecuing.  He once gave a homeless person his socks. That's just who he was. He would always stop to talk to people" said Vickie Glatt, Tapia's mother.

Jose Garcia



None of it feels real for the two families now trying to cope with the loss that has left huge holes in their lives. Garcia loved to grill and go camping at the beach.

"Ocean Shores was his favorite because I had taken him there for the first time," said Garcia's ex-wife, Adelita Ortiz-Garcia.

The two divorced a year and a half ago but remained close friends.

"He treated me like a queen and that's rare these days," said Ortiz-Garcia.

She drives a Metro bus and says she and other drivers have seen 'Chucky' on their routes.

"He's a very agitated person and always up and moving around. He's somebody that people will recognize and remember," said Ortiz-Garcia.

Detectives say 'Chucky' frequents Renton, Seattle and the Burien area. They believe friends or even family may be helping him hide.

"The fact that I don't have closure. The fact that my three other siblings don't have closure. You're making it ok for my daughter not to know the real story on how her grandpa passed," sais Salazar-Garcia.

"Chucky" also has a warrant for his arrest after detectives say he hit his ex-girlfriend in the face the night before the shootings.

"This guy needs to be put behind bars for the rest of his life," said Salazar-Garcia.



Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound is offering a $1,000 reward for any information that leads to Buchanan's arrest.  If you can tell deputies where to find him, submit an anonymous tip by using the P3 Tips App on your phone or by calling 1-800-222-TIPS(8477). You can also submit the info http://www.P3Tips.com.​ It is guaranteed to be anonymous. ​