Man fatally shot by Redmond police in Kirkland identified

By Sara Jean Green / The Seattle Times

KIRKLAND — The man fatally shot by Redmond police officers last week at a Safeway gas station in Kirkland has been identified.

Marcelo Castellano, 40, was identified by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office as the man shot by officers on June 14 at the Kingsgate Safeway, located in the 14400 block of 124th Avenue Northeast in Kirkland. Castellano died from multiple gunshot wounds.

The fatal, officer-involved shooting is being investigated by Kirkland police.

At the time, Redmond police said detectives had been searching for an individual they considered “armed and dangerous” when they confronted the man at the Safeway’s gas station. The man was fueling his pickup when officers attempted to take him into custody, and shots were fired. Kirkland police said the man had a gun in his possession at the time of the shooting, but did not specify where the weapon was located or whether he had reached for it before he was shot.

In February, Castellano was arrested by officers assigned to the Redmond Police Department’s Pro-Act unit, a team of plain clothes detectives who investigate auto thefts, burglaries, identity thefts and felony drug crimes, court records say. He was charged with two counts of violation of the uniform controlled substances act for allegedly dealing heroin and meth, say the records.

Castellano, who had been under investigation since December, was described as a drug dealer in a police blotter post announcing his arrest. He posted a $30,000 bond in March, court records show.

Kirkland police Capt. Mike St. Jean said Wednesday the Redmond police officers who shot Castellano were assigned to the Pro-Act unit and were investigating Castellano for additional crimes, including drug crimes, and had probable cause for his arrest. St. Jean said the investigation into the shooting is ongoing and investigators from his department will meet with members of Redmond police’s command staff on Friday.

So far, the Redmond police officers involved in the shooting have not been publicly identified and St. Jean said he is not yet able to release additional information about the shooting.

Though Castellano does not have any felony convictions in Washington, he has a burglary conviction in California and a conviction for a felony drug crime that was prosecuted in federal court, charging papers say.