US Marshals capture Washington murder suspect who allegedly gunned down unarmed father outside bar

Derrick Laquan Stell Jr., 29, was apprehended on October 13 in Burien, Washington, by members of the US Marshals Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force (PNVOTF), according to an October 28 press release from the federal agency.

Stell was wanted by the Des Moines Police Department in connection with the September 20 murder of 31-year-old Abraham Logan outside the All-Star Bar in Des Moines. He was also wanted by the Washington State Department of Corrections on a felony escape warrant stemming from previous charges of drive-by shooting and first-degree robbery.

According to charging documents obtained by The Ari Hoffman Show, Logan, a father of two and youth football coach, was celebrating birthdays with family members when he encountered a confrontation outside the bar.

Witnesses said Logan attempted to intervene verbally in an assault involving several individuals. The confrontation escalated when two armed men allegedly began pursuing him.

Logan's wife reportedly heard her husband shout, "He's got a gun!" before he attempted to flee.

Investigators identified the suspects as Stell and his uncle, 42-year-old Keenan Deshawn Stell, who was also charged with first-degree murder in connection with Logan's death.

Surveillance footage reportedly captured the two men chasing Logan, who was unarmed, before the fatal shooting.

According to investigators, Keenan Stell pointed a handgun toward Logan while Derrick Stell allegedly fired at the victim as he fell to the ground.

Police recovered 17 spent 9mm shell casings from the scene and documented bullets that struck nearby buildings.

Following the shooting, authorities launched a search for Derrick Stell, who was already wanted by the Washington State Department of Corrections.

Federal authorities eventually tracked Stell to the 11000 block of Des Moines Memorial Drive in Burien.

According to the US Marshals Service, Stell attempted to flee on foot when officers moved in to arrest him. Task force members pursued him and took him into custody without further incident.

Authorities said Stell was carrying a firearm and drugs at the time of his arrest.

The US Marshals Service also revealed that Stell told arresting officers that he had wanted to kill a law enforcement officer and commit "suicide by cop" during the arrest.

Stell now faces an additional charge of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm stemming from his apprehension.

Stell has an extensive criminal history that includes convictions in two separate first-degree robbery cases, a 2013 second-degree assault conviction, and a 2017 drive-by shooting conviction, according to court records cited in local reporting.

At the time of his arrest, Stell was also wanted by the Washington State Department of Corrections on a felony escape warrant related to his previous violent offenses.

King County prosecutors argued that Stell's criminal record, combined with the allegations that he chased down and fatally shot an unarmed man on a public street, made him a significant danger to the community and a flight risk.

Prosecutors requested that Stell be held without bail, arguing that a conviction in Logan's murder could qualify as a third strike under Washington's persistent offender law and result in a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Prosecutors also requested $3 million bail for his uncle, Keenan Stell, who is charged in the same killing.

"The PNVOTF, alongside our local and federal partners, remains committed to holding those responsible for senseless acts of violence accountable," said Acting US Marshal Donrien Stephens for the Western District of Washington.

"We hope this arrest brings some measure of justice and peace to Mr. Logan's family."