Police: Felon tied to Capitol Hill mass shooting caught with gun SeaTac man now faces federal gun charges

A Seattle-area felon linked by police to a shooting in the city that injured five now faces federal gun charges.

Investigators contend Deonte Rasul-Chiono was carrying a .32 cal. pistol when he was arrested by a fugitive apprehension taskforce in late 2015. Rasul-Chiono, 23, has not been accused in the November shooting in Seattle.

Initially charged in state court, Rasul-Chiono now faces federal prosecution. A three-time convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms.

Just after 1 a.m. on Nov. 22, gunfire erupted near the intersection of Harvard Avenue and East Pike Street in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Five people were shot, though none received life-threatening wounds.

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray met with workers who were near the shooting the following day.

"This is a vibrant neighborhood and it's also a safe neighborhood,” he said at the time. “It's actually my neighborhood."

A still photo taken from a dashcam video shows a Nov. 22 shooting scene in the Broadway area of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. A still photo taken from a dashcam video shows a Nov. 22 shooting scene in the Broadway area of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. Photo: KOMO NEWS Photo: KOMO NEWS Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Police: Felon tied to Capitol Hill mass shooting caught with gun 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Witnesses told police a silver Mazda sedan was involved in the shooting, according to charging papers. Surveillance video confirmed that claim, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special agent said in charging papers, and Rasul-Chiono was soon identified as a person of interest in the shooting.

Ten days later, a law enforcement taskforce began planning to arrest Rasul-Chiono and a second man. Both were convicted felons under Department of Corrections supervision linked to recent shootings in and around Seattle.

“Both (the other man) and Rasul-Chiono are believed to belong to the same gang and are known associates,” the ATF agent said in charging papers, noting that both have been arrested previously carrying guns.

Investigators looking for Rasul-Chiono stopped the Mazda after it left a Burien apartment complex. Police seized the car during that Dec. 2 stop but released Rasul-Chiono.

The second man, who does not appear to have been charged, was arrested the following day in Federal Way. Rasul-Chiono was waiting to meet him and was also stopped by police.

According to charging papers, an officer frisking Rasul-Chiono found a pistol in his pants pocket. Investigators contend the pistol was loaded at the time.

Writing the court, a Seattle police officer said Rasul-Chiono asked officers if “his case was going federal” during the ride to jail. He was told it likely would.

Rasul-Chiono, who is also known as Deote Rasul-Chiona, was convicted of assault following a 2012 shooting. That Sept. 27, 2012 incident was the latest in a string of gun crimes committed by the young man.

A month after his 20th birthday, Rasul-Chiono opened fire on man working at an Auburn Jack in the Box. Rasul-Chiono shot at the drive-thru worker after the man complained about the volume Rasul-Chiono’s car stereo.

That shooting resulted in a felony assault conviction, Rasul-Chiono’s second, and a three-year prison sentence.

Rasul-Chiono served jail time for gun possession after being implicated in a 2011 shooting that saw a bystander’s car window shot out as she passed Rasul-Chiono. Police claimed at the time that Rasul-Chiono was seen leaving the scene while holding a gun to a young woman’s neck.

Though not convicted in the assault, Rasul-Chiono admitted to unlawfully possessing a gun. He lost his gun rights as a child following a theft, and had been again ordered not to possess firearms following a 2010 incident in which he was convicted of assault after stomping on a man’s head during a fight.

Rasul-Chiono was transferred to federal custody Monday. He is charged with unlawful gun possession in U.S. District Court at Seattle.

Seattlepi.com reporter Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 orlevipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk.