Kent teen faces criminal assistance charge in East Hill shooting death

A 17-year-old Kent boy faces a first-degree rendering criminal assistance charge for reportedly driving a car to help a Auburn teen flee after fatally shooting a man on the East Hill.

The boy, a Kentwood High School senior, is scheduled to appear Dec. 15 in King County Juvenile Court in Seattle when a trial date could be set or attorneys could ask for more time to prepare the case. The Kent Reporter is not naming the boy because he is under age 18 and being charged in Juvenile Court rather than as an adult in King County Superior Court.

Hector Galeano Jr., 18, of Auburn, is charged with first-degree murder for allegedly shooting Payton Mattson, 20, on Nov. 26, while robbing him of cash during a marijuana deal in the 13100 block of Southeast 261st Place, according to court documents. Galeano is scheduled to be arraigned on Dec. 11 in King County Superior Court at the Maleng Regional Justice Center.

The start of the drug deal apparently began just before midnight Nov. 25, when the Kentwood boy asked a friend to set up a meeting where he would pay $500 for a quarter-pound of marijuana. The friend contacted Mattson, known to sell marijuana, to arrange the deal, according to court documents.

The 17-year-old boy brought Galeano along to help make the deal. Galeano got into a car with Mattson and another boy. Mattson began to measure out the marijuana. Mattson also showed the other teens a bag he had in the car with thousands of dollars inside. Galeano reportedly grabbed the cash, pointed a gun at Mattson and fled the vehicle.

Mattson exited the car and chased Galeano. The teen who remained in Mattson’s car told detectives he heard at least four shots and saw Galeano shoot Mattson. Galeano then fled in a 2013 black Mercedes Benz driven by the Kentwood teen, using a car owned by his father. The teen told police he was sleeping at Galeano’s home during the time of the shooting.