Washington teen allegedly murders stranger on bus without provocation: Police

(SEATTLE) — Washington state police are searching for a teen who has been charged in the premeditated murder of a stranger while they were apparently asleep on a bus.

Miguel Robert Rivera Dominguez, 17, has been charged with murder in the first degree and unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree in the death of Marcel Wagner on Oct. 3.

While still at large, Dominguez’s bail has been set at $3 million. He has been charged in adult court.

Wagner was shot on a King County Metro Transit bus with about 15 passengers on board at the time, according to court documents. The bus had video and audio recordings, and captured the incident, according to court records.

“Without any provocation, and in fact without having ever interacted with the victim at all, the defendant fired five rounds into the victim’s head and neck at point blank range. The defendant then fired two more shots through the door of the bus and fled to a location where he could change his clothing before returning home again,” prosecutors alleged in charging documents.

In court documents, the prosecution requested that bail be set at $3 million based on the “likelihood that the defendant will fail to appear in response to a summons and he may commit a violent offense.”

Dominguez does not have a criminal history, according to prosecutors.

Dominguez allegedly took steps to “conceal his identity” and his “calculated actions on the bus” suggest that the murder was “planned and deliberate,” prosecutors said.

“The defendant’s senseless execution of a total stranger strongly suggests that if released on his own recognizance or on a low bail, he will commit future violent offenses,” prosecutors wrote in court documents.

Surveillance footage from the bus shows that Dominguez was allegedly dressed in a dark jacket, full-face ski mask, jeans and black shoes and was carrying a backpack and was accompanied by another unidentified 17-year-old, according to records. For the approximately 12-minute ride after Wagner and Dominguez boarded the bus, there appeared to be “no interaction between Wagner and Dominguez whatsoever,” according to records.

“In fact, it appears that Wagner might even be asleep. Dominguez appears to be texting or otherwise viewing his phone throughout the entire duration of the ride, pausing only occasionally to look outside,” according to records.

Dominguez then allegedly pulls the “stop” line indicating that he wants to get off the bus and pulls out a handgun and “suddenly begins shooting Wagner … without uttering a single word,” according to records.

The accompanying minor, whose identity is not revealed, reacted with “shock” and covered his head, according to records.

He then shouts repeatedly at the bus driver to open the doors and let him off, even firing two rounds from his gun into the still-closed doors. The bullets hit the SeaMar White Center Medical Building, according to records.

The driver then brings the bus to a halt and opens the rear door allowing Dominguez and the other 17-year-old to flee, according to records.

Minutes later, Dominguez was captured on surveillance footage entering a nearby Boys and Girls Club and changing his clothes inside, court records show. Footage from his residence showed him later returning home in that same attire.

According to court records, Dominguez was allegedly suspended from Highline High School during the 2022-2023 academic year after he was involved in a fight, among other issues.

Police were able to identify the minor accompanying Dominguez and he confirmed that Dominguez had shot Wagner and that the two did not know the victim, court records show. The minor also said he did not know Dominguez intended to kill anyone.

Dominguez’s arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 6 — although he is not yet in custody.

“It’s likely he will be wearing a mask to conceal his face while in public. Rivera Dominguez is believed to be armed and extremely dangerous,” the King County Sheriff’s Office said in a release last month.