Slain man identified in Marysville shooting

MARYSVILLE , WASHINGTON (HERALD NET)— The man killed in a shooting last week in Marysville has been identified.

Stephen Collins, 37 and Khoa Nguyen, 36, had been friends. But Collins had gotten upset when Nguyen recently tried to steal from him, according to a police report.

Around 9:40 p.m. Jan. 2, Nguyen came to the Hallmark House Apartments on 47th Avenue NE in his Honda Pilot, according to police. Collins told his girlfriend he wasn’t going to answer the door. He didn’t want to deal with Nguyen again.

But he went out to his car to retrieve his phone. While in the parking lot, he reportedly told Nguyen to leave.

Surveillance footage shows Collins approach the Honda Pilot with one person inside, according to a Marysville detective’s report. He reportedly talks with Nguyen through the window when two flashes appear on the video. Collins falls back. The gunman gets out of the car, walks over to the man and runs back to the driver’s side before fleeing.

Hearing the gunshots, the girlfriend called 911.

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Monday that Collins died of a gunshot wound. His death was classified as homicide.

The victim’s girlfriend told investigators Nguyen lived off Highway 92 in Granite Falls, according to court documents. Authorities swarmed Nguyen’s home.

A couple hours later, Nguyen surrendered to a SWAT team. Police arrested him for investigation of second-degree murder and unlawful firearm possession.
On Monday, Nguyen remained in custody at the Snohomish County Jail with bail set at $1 million.