Teen charged as adult in death of 2-year-old struck in shooting outside Federal Way IHOP

FEDERAL WAY, Washington — A 17-year-old boy has been charged with first-degree murder six months after a 2-year-old was fatally shot in an IHOP parking lot, according to the Federal Way Police Department (FWPD). He will be billed as an adult.

Jayson Jack, who was also charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder, was arrested Wednesday at his Federal Way residence after months of investigation, FWPD Commander Kyle Buchanan said in a statement.

The toddler, Synsyr Lewis, was struck by a bullet after prosecutors say Jack fired 15 shots at the child’s father’s car outside the IHOP in the 100 block from Southwest Campus Drive in Federal Way on April 4. Synsyr later died at Harborview Medical Center.

The King County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled it a homicide and police said the suspect was at large after the shooting.

Buchanan said Jack, who was 16 at the time of the shooting, was booked into the King County Children and Family Justice Center.

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The child’s father arrived at the IHOP parking lot with his two children, Synsyr, 2, and an infant, on the morning of April 4 to pick up his girlfriend from work, according to charging documents released by the District Attorney’s Office. King County. (KCPAO).

The KCPAO wrote that Jack learned of his father’s whereabouts and arrived at IHOP about a half hour later.

Jack then drove around the parking lot several times in a stolen Hyundai Sonata before pulling in front of his father’s GMC Yukon and firing 15 shots into the windshield, prosecutors wrote in charging documents.

Charging documents say the father was able to hide under the dashboard with his 1-year-old child to avoid the bullets. He then noticed that Synsyr, who was sleeping in his car seat, had been shot.

Jack then fled the scene, abandoned the Sonata and got rid of the .45 caliber firearm used in the shooting. As Jack fled, charging documents say the father left the Yukon and shot Jack with his own handgun.

Prosecutors said the father rushed to the hospital, but Synsyr was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Harborview.

Court documents say Jack was linked to the murder through surveillance video, clothing recovered from his home that matched the suspect’s clothing, and ammunition found in his bedroom that matched shell casings found at the scene and inside of the suspect vehicle. A family member saw surveillance footage of the suspect and pointed police toward Jack.

“This has been a heartbreaking case for our entire community, and we are grateful for the tireless efforts of law enforcement to bring this suspect to justice,” said Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell. “We will not tolerate violence that puts our children in danger, and we remain fully committed to making Federal Way a safer place for everyone.”

Jack has multiple prior convictions for violent crimes, according to charging documents. He is the subject of juvenile adjudication for second-degree grand larceny, motor vehicle theft and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Prosecutors said Jack robbed a 71-year-old woman in Bellevue on May 10, 2023, and later that day, an 82-year-old woman in Mercer Island, both robbing at gunpoint.

Prosecutors said that nine days after Synsyr’s murder, Jack was arrested for illegal possession of a firearm.

“This tragic case has deeply affected our community, and I am grateful for the tireless efforts of our detectives who worked tirelessly to solve the case,” said FWPD Police Chief Andy Hwang. “Today, we can assure the family and the public that justice is being served. We remain committed to holding those responsible for such senseless violence to account.”

The KCPAO requested that bail be set at a total of $5 million, $3 million for the murder charge and $1 million for the two attempted murder charges.

What does Washington State law say about juveniles being tried as adults?

Sometimes juveniles are charged as adults, but the prosecutor must be able to prove that it is in the best interest of the juvenile and the public to transfer the case to adult court.

The process of transferring a case from juvenile court to adult court is a discretionary denial. This is a hearing in which a prosecutor declines juvenile jurisdiction. The judge must review the case and consider the eight Kent factors. If the judge declines juvenile jurisdiction over the case, it is then transferred to adult court.

The case of Kent v. The United States Supreme Court’s 1966 established due process requirements for cases involving minors. The Kent Factors are standards that evaluate the crime committed and the minor.

Kent factors include:

• Severity
• Way of engagement
• People or property
• Merits
• Adult co-suspects
• Sophisticated and mature
• History of offenses and contacts
• Prospects for rehabilitation or protection

There are cases where some minors are automatically tried as adults. State law explains that if a minor is 16 or 17 years old at the time of the offense and is charged with a violent offense as defined by the court, and the minor has a criminal history of violent offenses or first degree rape of a child, he is automatically tried as an adult.

When a minor is charged as an adult, they are still confined in juvenile detention and have access to bail.

Washington state law aims to reduce juvenile recidivism. The law aims to limit the negative effects of prosecuting a minor in adult court and sending them to an adult prison. State law says that if a juvenile commits an offense before age 18 and is convicted in adult court, they can serve their sentence in juvenile prison until age 25 .