Federal Way Police found several cartridge casings in the Twin Lakes Safeway parking lot on June 17 after the fatal shooting. COURTESY PHOTO, South Sound News

Federal Way Police found several cartridge casings in the Twin Lakes Safeway parking lot on June 17 after the fatal shooting. COURTESY PHOTO, South Sound News

Suspect faces murder charges in Federal Way Safeway shooting

The 20-year-old suspect turned himself in to Federal Way police on June 17, hours after the shooting.

A 20-year-old man is facing murder charges in connection to the June 16 shooting outside of a Federal Way Safeway which killed two men and critically injured another.

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Prince Faamalele, whose last known address is Des Moines, on June 22. Faamalele is charged with two counts of second-degree murder with firearm enhancements and one count of first-degree assault.

His bail is set at $5 million and his arraignment is at 9 a.m. Thursday, July 6 at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.

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Faamalele allegedly fired over 20 rounds “in a matter of seconds” into the victims’ vehicle in the grocery store parking lot, striking each person multiple times, wrote Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Brent R. Kling in the charging documents.

The two men fatally shot on June 16 have been identified as 29-year-old Brandon Ramngen and 28-year-old Simion Muna, according to charging documents and verified GoFundMe fundraisers.

The third man who was critically injured is 24 years old and has been discharged from Harborview Medical Center as of June 22, according to Harborview spokeswoman Susan Gregg.

Just before 11:30 p.m. June 16, Safeway surveillance video footage shows a blue Toyota — carrying Muna, Ramngen, the other victim and another witness — park next to a gray Honda in the parking lot. After some interaction, Ramngen is seen exiting the Toyota and walking in between the two cars, documents state. He speaks to the driver of the Honda then gunfire erupts.

The Honda pickups up two people as they exit the grocery store then speeds away from the scene.

First responders arrived and rendered aid to the victims, but Muna and Ramngen died at the scene. Police found several cartridge casings littering the parking lot near where the Toyota was parked and where the Honda fled from. A Tisas PX-9 Gen 3 pistol was found under Ramngen’s body at the scene, and the bullets inside the pistol were different from those found at the scene.

A few hours later around 3:26 a.m. June 17, a suspect arrived at the Federal Way police station in a gray Honda. The suspect, identified as Faamalele, reportedly told an officer he had been involved in the “Safeway incident,” according to charging documents, and said his involvement was shooting. He allegedly later told police during an interview that it was a self-defense shooting.

Upon searching the Honda, police found cartridge casings in the car and a 9mm Glock handgun in the trunk.

“The condition of the firearm was consistent with the gun having been fired until empty,” documents state.

A family member who set up a GoFundMe for Ramngen says the men were at a friend’s graduation party on the night of June 16 and were making a grocery store run. Ramngen is described as having a contagious laugh, a good sense of humor and a big heart. The fundraiser states he is survived by his parents, brothers, girlfriend and her kids “that he loved as his own.”

Another fundraiser created for Muna states he was a bubbly, loving person who was always happy. Muna is survived by his parents, siblings and his additional family and friends. A third GoFundMe has been set up to help with the cost’s of the third victim’s medical expenses.


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