Police have arrested a Tukwila man who was accused of shooting a Washington State University football player on Sunday morning following Apple Cup.
The shooting happened during a fight at a Pullman apartment party, according to Whitman County Superior Court documents and the Pullman Police Department.
According to the Pullman Police Department, 20-year-old University of Washington student Jakori Cezon Buchanan was taken into custody by the Seattle Police Department and booked into the King County Jail.
Detectives say Buchanan shot 19-year-old Uilisone “Sone” Falealo in the abdomen during a fight early Sunday morning at Aspen Heights Apartments on Northwest Cottonwood Lane.
According to The Spokesman-Review, Falealo is a WSU redshirt freshman offensive lineman.
Officers responded around 1:47 a.m. Sept. 21, after a 911 call reported gunfire.
Responding officers found Falealo injured and transported him with the Pullman Fire Department to Pullman Regional Hospital.
He underwent surgery, is in stable condition, and is expected to make a full recovery.
Investigators initially linked Buchanan to a gray 2025 Hyundai Sonata with Minnesota license plates.
That car, a rental, has since been returned to Hertz in SeaTac and is no longer considered connected to the case.
An attorney for the suspected shooter sent KIRO 7 News a statement on Monday night. It says that Buchanan only acted in self-defense during a hate crime assault—to protect his cousin.
According to the statement, Buchanan’s cousin, Marque Madden, is in critical condition at Tacoma General with a collapsed lung. Madden’s mother, Gia Kennebrew, said her son was in a lot of pain when she saw him on Tuesday.
“Being here right now is important because he could not have been here. A couple more punches and he could have been done.” Kennebrew said.
Video of the altercation shows Buchanon and Madden near the door of a home with several people also outside. The crowd hides some of what occured, but shows an altercation with several punches being thrown. Madden ends up on the ground with several other men near by. Madden gets pulled, eventually regains his footing before the gun fires.
“Why did that happen? That’s the scary thing. We’re still trying to figure out why did they brutally attack these kids like this and were [using] racial slurs,” Kennebrew said, “It didn’t take all you guys to beat my son damn near to death.”
Washington State University issues the following statement after the shooting:
“Washington State University can confirm that one of our student-athletes was the victim of a shooting that occurred at an off-campus gathering. The student is currently recovering and his family is with him in Pullman.
Because this is an active investigation, we ask that all further inquiries be directed to the Pullman Police Department.
WSU is providing support to our student-athlete and his family. Students who may be impacted by this incident are encouraged to access campus resources, including the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) team, which can be reached at 509-335-4511, and additional support services available through the Dean of Students Office."
The attorney says the fight was caught on camera, and people can be heard yelling slurs as Buchanan and his cousin were being beaten.
According to court documents, witnesses said Buchanan argued with two women at the gathering, leading to fights that escalated until Buchanan drew a handgun and fired once.
Witnesses later identified Buchanan through his Instagram profile, which matched his driver’s license photo and listed him as a UW student from West Seattle.
Detectives attempted to contact Buchanan by phone after the shooting, but he did not respond.
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