King County Sheriff’s Office detectives are asking for the public’s help to locate a man who is wanted for shooting and killing two men in White Center in early January.
Merle Charles Buchanan, aka Chucky, 26, is wanted for two counts of first-degree murder for allegedly shooting and killing 51-year-old Jose Angel Garcia and 45-year-old Paul Victor Tapia outside of the Club Taradise in the 9800 block of 16th Avenue Southwest on Jan. 6.
Buchanan is known to frequent Burien, Renton and Seattle and detectives believe he is still in the area, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.
Around 1 a.m., deputies responded to the area after receiving multiple reports of a shooting outside of the club. When deputies arrived they located the two victims in the parking lot. Garcia died at the scene and Tapia was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where he later died.
During the investigation detectives identified the suspect in the shootings as Buchanan.
Buchanan is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 195 pounds. In addition to the murder warrants he also has a felony domestic violence no contact order warrant. He should be considered armed and dangerous.
If anyone sees Buchanan or knows of his location, please do not approach him, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Call 911 or remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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