On the evening of Tuesday, June 15, 2021, at around 8:18 p.m. at the corner of SW 129th and 4th Ave SW in Burien, the calm night air was shattered by the horrific sound of 8 to 10 gunshots and of a crashing car.

As we previously reported, a man was shot and killed in his car while driving with a 2-year old toddler in the back seat. Sadly, the victim died, but luckily the young boy was uninjured.

Upon arriving at the scene unfolding just outside their homes, residents could see a young man – named Juan Barahona – with a severe gunshot wound to his head slumped over in the driver’s seat of the crashed car.

Quickly responding residents removed the shattered glass from the window and leaned in to check on the victim.

They assured him he was not alone.

Military vet Patrick Robbins and several neighbors, including 20-year old Ryan Harrison, sprang into action and got the victim out of the car, then performed first aid and CPR before the arrival of the police and fire department. Harrison even took off his own shirt and bound Juan’s wounds and helped with CPR.

While removing the victim from the car, they noticed something else – a baby was sitting in a car seat right behind the driver in the backseat. The baby was lucky and did not have injuries from this horrible tragedy.

When they saw the baby, they made sure he was carefully lifted to safety.

They administered first aid to Juan and stayed with him until the police arrived about seven minutes after the shooting.

“The whole time we told the young male victim that he was not alone,” Robbins added. “When medics arrived they packaged the victim up and transported him to Harborview Medical Center, where sadly he passed away from his injuries.”

“It is nice to know that the neighborhood came together so the young man was not alone,” Robbins added. “May the police solve this crime and bring the suspect into court for this senseless crime they committed!”

Kirsten Harrison added that her 20-year old son Ryan, “who I’m incredibly proud of,” has been deeply impacted by this event and will forever carry the memory of those moments.

Her son and husband had the opportunity to recently meet Juan’s brother, brother-in-law, and sister. While nothing can really ease the pain of their tragedy, and “they were comforted that he was not alone,” she said.

“Lots of negative things are being said about Burien,” Harrison added. “Our experience this week was the power of neighbors coming together. My husband, son, and our neighbor (who is a longtime Burien resident, former military, and volunteer firefighter) were the ones to respond immediately. They did not hesitate.”

Other neighbors have also stepped up, offering support and being present.

“It’s going to take time to heal from this,” Harrison said. “While our pain is minor compared to the victim’s family, naming that human element feels important. Of course, there are systemic and political things we need to talk about, but I think there’s room for more.”

No shooting suspect has been found or identified so far.

FUNDRAISER STARTED
Friends and family are raising funds to cover funeral costs, including the cost of sending Juan’s remains to his family out of the country, and to cover his wife Edith’s and the baby’s living expenses for the time she will have to take off of work: