The following details of the Aug. 16 White Center shooting come from a King County Sheriff’s Office detective’s probable cause certificate presented to prosecutors:

It was 12:22 a.m. on Aug. 16. Sweetheart Failautusi and her three acquaintances were waiting for a bus near the intersection of S.W. Roxbury and 15th Ave S.W. when they were approached by three African American males, one identified at the man charged with second degree murder, Anthony H. Smith, 25.

One of the males asked Failautusi’s group for a cigarette and the request was denied.

Smith allegedly responded, “What’s up cuz?, “(expletive) you (expletive)” and “crip.”

A verbal argument erupted and Smith allegedly grabbed Failautusi. She took a swing at him and missed and Smith punched her.

A brawl exploded and one of Failautusi’s acquaintances punched Smith several times, causing scratches and injuries to his face. Sometime during the brawl Smith’s handgun fell from his waistband and one of his friends retrieved it.

“I’ll be right back, it’s not over,” Smith allegedly said.

KCSO deputies responded to the scene but Failautusi told them “everything was okay” and they left.

30 minutes later Smith and his two friends returned to the scene. One of the men approached Failautusi and they shook hands. Just then Smith allegedly started charging the group, yelling, “no, (expletive) you (expletive), don’t touch him.”

He allegedly pulled out a handgun. “What, (expletive), what, (expletive)? I told you I was coming back for you.”

Failautusi and her acquaintances backed away as Smith allegedly fired two shots, striking the ground with one and the window of a local business with the other, according to investigators.

Smith allegedly pointed his gun towards Failautusi and her friend who had punched him earlier and fired one last shot, hitting Sweetheart Failautusi in the back of the head. She fell immediately. Medical examiners later said she would have died immediately. It was approximately 12:58 a.m.

Smith and his friends allegedly fled the scene east on S.W. Roxbury and then north on 14th Ave S.W.

Surveillance video from local businesses captured both the fight and shooting and tips came in once portions of video were released to the public, identifying Smith as the shooter. In addition, of Failautusi’s friends and an eyewitness “immediately” picked Smith from a photo montage.

Smith was arrested at his Highland Park home on the afternoon of Aug. 17 and told police “he wanted to talk to them but had hired an attorney.”

Anthony H. Smith, 25, was charged on Aug. 19 with second degree murder in the shooting death of 23-year-old Maria “Sweetheart” Failautusi on Aug. 16 in White Center, according to the King County Prosecutor's Office.

If convicted, the sentencing range is 16 to 24 1/2 years in prison.
Smith will be arraigned on Sept. 1 at the King County Courthouse and remains jailed on a $1 million bail, according to Dan Donohoe with the prosecutor's office.