Fil-Am teen killed in Seattle, suspect still at large

At 11 p.m. on April 23, 16-year-old Filipino-American Earl Estrella answered a knock on the door at their home in Seattle, Washington that led to his death. He was shot multiple times by an unidentified gunman and eventually succumbed to a gunshot wound to the head. 

Authorities are still reportedly looking for the person who shot Estrella, and no description of the suspect and leads were immediately available. 

Witnesses said someone knocked on the door of Estrella’s home and when he answered it, he was shot several times in the doorway by a suspect who immediately fled the area. 

According to Estrella’s stepfather Phouvieng Soneouthay, that night he heard gun shots inside their house. And when he came out of the bedroom to check out what happened, he found Estrella on the floor and saw bullet holes on the door. 

As to why someone would want to do it to Estrella, Soneouthay said, “I don’t know. I never knew that.”

Seattle Police interim chief Adrian Diaz said in a statement that Estrella’s shooting is the second time that a young person has been shot in just one month. “We are just trying to figure out ways to stop this violence. These shootings have to stop.”

There were questions whether the shooting specifically targeted Estrella, but South Precinct Advisory Council chair Erin Goodman said, “We have no way of knowing. Was it a relative that was targeted? Was it the right address?”