A man and woman are behind bars and facing first degree assault charges for allegedly firing several shots into the bedroom of a White Center woman who was sleeping with her 9-month-old baby on Oct. 7.
Charges in the case were originally reported by Seattlepi.com.
According to charging documents, 28-year-old Tony Dante Avery and 27-year-old Ebonee Machiah Heller, both with last known addresses in Burien, allegedly went to the victim’s home on the 9600 block of 11th Ave. S.W. shortly after 1 a.m. During interrogation, Avery told detectives he fired several handgun rounds at the home (all seven shots were concentrated on the victim’s bedroom window) at the request of Heller due to a dispute between her and the victim.
Asleep with her infant, the victim told police she awoke to the sound of gunfire and the sight of bullets coming in through her bedroom window, shattering glass and tearing into walls. She grabbed her child and ran to the living room where she called 911.
Meanwhile, a KCSO Deputy was on patrol about four blocks away and heard the shots. He drove in the general direction of the noise and, at the intersection of S.W. Roxbury and 13th Ave S.W., saw Heller walking his direction. He asked her if she had heard or seen anything and she said she had not.
Suddenly, Avery ran towards the two and pulled up, appearing “surprised” when he saw his alleged accomplice talking with law enforcement. The deputy asked Avery to lift up his shirt to prove he was not carrying a concealed firearm and then let the two go on their way (initial details broadcasted to deputies said the shooter had fled the scene in a vehicle, putting the deputy initially off the track of his eventual suspects).
Another deputy and his canine partner “Casimier” responded to the home and started tracking a scent which led them to a pair of discarded blue rubber surgical gloves. Nearby, on the 9300 block of 12th Ave S.W., Casimier led deputies to a Glock 9mm handgun in the backyard of a residence. The items were found very close to where the first deputy initially made contact with Avery and Heller.
The deputy described the pair to the victim, and she said the female sounded like “Ebonee Heller.” She told them Heller had been at her home only three hours before the shooting and that the two had been arguing for several weeks, although she believed the two had “made up.”
After pulling up a photo of Heller and identifying her as their suspect, deputies went to her apartment on 26th Ave S.W. in Burien. Heller allowed them into her home and they saw Avery sitting on the back porch.
According to charging documents, Avery kept quiet and refused to show deputies what he had in his pockets, but Heller quickly admitted that she was with Avery when the shooting occurred. She said the two had parked at Walgreen’s in White Center and were walking to the victim’s home when Avery pulled out blue surgical gloves and the Glock.
Both were placed under arrest and a second pair of identical surgical gloves were found in Avery’s front pocket, according to detectives.
On Oct. 8, detectives interviewed Avery in jail. According to court documents, he “admitted that he had been the person who fired shots at the Henderson’s home, doing so at the request of Heller, who told him to ‘hurt that (expletive),’ referring to (the victim).” Avery said Heller offered him money to do it and that he was unaware that an infant was in the targeted room.
In a separate interview, Heller admitted to animosity between the victim and her, but her story diverged from Avery’s when it came to the shooting. According to charging documents, Heller told detectives she pointed out the victim’s window at his request, but said she was unaware that Avery planned to shoot at the house.
The pair was charged with assault on Oct. 10. Both are still in jail and the King County jail register shows Avery has a $1 million bail, while Heller is being held with a $200,000 bail.
