PORT ANGELES — Detectives investigating last month’s shooting death of 16-year-old Michael Andrew Sindars say they still have questions.
Timothy Patrick Smith, 17, of West 13th Street, Port Angeles, has been charged in the June 27 slaying with first-degree manslaughter and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm.
Smith has pleaded innocent to the charges and is awaiting a September trial in Clallam County Superior Court.
In the meantime, Port Angeles police detective Cpl. Jack Lowell said the investigation is continuing.
“We don’t leave anything to chance,” Lowell said, noting questions remain on possible drug use, gun ownership and exactly how the shooting occurred.
Smith’s lawyer, Lane J. Wolfley of Port Angeles did not return telephone calls seeking comment.
Police say one question remaining to be answered is how Smith came into possession of two handguns, including the semi-automatic .45-caliber Llama allegedly used in the shooting.
The handgun has been sent to Washington State Patrol crime lab in Marysville for ballistics analysis.
And the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms is tracing the gun to determine ownership.
It is illegal for anyone younger than 18 to possess a handgun. It is also illegal for anyone younger than 21 to purchase a handgun, Lowell said.
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