Auburn-Federal Way area man suspect in Seattle murder

Published 1:20 pm Thursday, May 14, 2026

A man from the Auburn-Federal Way area is a suspect in a Seattle murder at The Growler Guys beer garden.

According to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, a 20-year-old man residing in unincorporated King County at an Auburn address, near Steel Lake, is a suspect in a May 9 murder at The Growler Guys, 8500 Lake City Way NE, Seattle. The suspect was allegedly captured on surveillance video entering the establishment after hours with an employee, and after the two appeared to disagree verbally, the video depicts the suspect fatally shooting 25-year-old Quusaa Margarsa.

According to the prosecutor’s office, following a statement from a prosecutor that the suspect is a public safety concern and a statement from the suspect’s attorney that this is a clear case of self-defense, a judge set the suspect’s bail at $2 million. The suspect’s attorney noted that he turned himself in and asked the court to set his bail at $250,000.

“Whether it was him taking responsibility, there’s just two ways to look at that, your honor,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor Chris Anderson said. “But we do believe that we are concerned about public safety, and for those reasons we are asking (for) $2 million bail.”

According to spokesperson Casey McNerthney, at the earliest, the prosecutor’s office will make a charging decision by May 14.

There are two fundraisers for Margarsa’s family, both verified by GoFundMe as going to his family, that are asking for community support. According to GoFundMe, donations will assist Margarsa’s family with funeral and memorial expenses and provide much-needed support to his loved ones as they navigate this tragedy. As of press time, over $120,000 has been raised for Margarsa’s family.

Details of the case

According to probable cause documents, at approximately 8:56 a.m. May 9, officers were dispatched to The Growler Guys beer garden when there was a report that an employee was found on the floor in a pool of blood and shell casings were near his body. That employee was later identified as Margarsa.

An officer on scene noted that there was a set of keys near Margarsa’s right hand, and the door in front of it had damage consistent with being struck by a bullet.

Officers spoke with the owner of the business, who said that Margarsa had worked at the establishment for about a year, but he had known Margarsa for about eight years, as Margarsa was friends with his son. The owner said that Margarsa had closed the business the previous night and that he had the keys to the establishment.

Officers spoke with another friend of Margarsa’s who said he saw Margarsa at a hookah lounge the previous night with a female with dark hair who was wearing a tank top and leggings. He was also with a male.

Documents state that officers retrieved surveillance video from the business, and in it, Margarsa is with a female who had dark hair and a male. The three are captured on video hanging out at the bar, appearing to drink and possibly be using narcotics.

According to documents, about an hour later, Margarsa and the male appeared to be having a disagreement. Margarsa proceeded to turn away from the male and attempted to unlock a door before the male pulled a handgun out of his bag and shot Margarsa multiple times in the back. Margarsa then fell to the ground before the male, and the female fled the scene in a vehicle.

Documents state that on May 11, Seattle police were alerted that a female wanted to turn herself in. The female said that on May 9, she picked up the suspect in Federal Way before they went to a party in Seattle, and eventually ended up at a hookah lounge where they met Margarsa.

The female told officers that Margarsa invited them to The Growler Guys to continue hanging out and drinking. The female said that after some time, she wanted to leave and went to look for the suspect. She said that Margarsa wanted her to stay and the suspect to leave, but she did not plan to remain at the location without the suspect.

According to documents, the female said that she had her back to Margarsa and the suspect, and she heard gunshots, prompting her to run away because she thought she was being shot at. The female said that she and the suspect then drove around aimlessly, were pulled over by police in Bothell at one point, but she eventually made her way home to sleep.

The female said that when she woke up, the suspect’s father had messaged her and told her that she needed to get an attorney. She said that she did not know the suspect had a gun or that he was going to shoot Margarsa.

Officers were then contacted by the suspect’s attorney, who said that the suspect wished to turn himself in and that the gun and clothes from the shooting were at the suspect’s home, and he would turn them over to police.

Documents state that the suspect matches the person who fatally shot Margarsa, and there is probable cause that he committed murder.