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Murders doubled in a Washington city - despite overall crime being down by 25 percent. New statistics released by the Federal Way mayor’s office show a 100 percent increase in homicides with eight murders so far in 2025, compared to four through August of last year. Federal Way is about 23 miles away from Seattle and has 101,030 residents, according to the US Census Bureau. Half of this year’s deaths were related to domestic violence, Federal Way police commander Kyle Buchanan said. He told the Federal Way Mirror: ‘We want to reassure residents that none of the homicides this year were random acts of violence. 'In each case, the victim and suspect were known to one another. ‘While even a single homicide is tragic, the likelihood of random victimization remains very low in Federal Way.’ Buchanan noted that domestic violence incidents are difficult to prevent. The other homicides included a 13-year-old girl who was shot and killed on May 3 allegedly by Javier Garcia, 20, who was trying to rob her and had threatened to 'blow her head off’. At the end of that same month, police arrested and charged Woo Jin Hahn, 29, with the second-degree murder of his own daughter. According to court documents seen by the Federal Way Mirror, Hahn said he abused his five-year-old after his child was suffering from food poisoning. He allegedly ‘hit’ her with objects and ‘tied’ her to a toilet for hours. On August 18, Matthew David Krutenat, 45, was arrested and later charged with murdering Rashawn Lucas. Lucas was pronounced dead at the scene of the crime after seemingly being shot in the left shoulder. Charges have been filed in four of Federal Way’s eight homicide cases. Homicides doubled in Federal Way but overall crime is down by 25 percent in the city, the Federal Way Police Department said. Total robberies are down 49 percent with aggravated assaults down 33 percent, commercial burglaries 68 percent and residential burglaries 32 percent. Motor vehicle thefts dipped by 55 percent, from 789 cases last year to just 352 until now in 2025. Police also reported that 46 shots had been fired so far this year, as opposed to 85 shots from January through August of 2024. Federal Way police say they are focused on ‘proactive enforcement' which includes drug crackdowns and traffic stops. Federal Way mayor Jim Ferrell said: 'Those involved in illegal drug use and distribution are significantly more likely to commit other crimes.’ Property crimes, in particular, can be driven by 'drug-seeking behavior', he added. Officers have issued more than 7,200 traffic infractions this year, marking an 82 percent increase from 2024. Ferrell said: ‘Statistics are cold comfort for those who’ve been personally affected by crime. 'I want our residents to know that our police officers and city government are fully committed to their safety and work tirelessly to protect them every day.’
