Kirkland Police Department detectives are actively searching for a man for who they filed first degree murder charges against today.

Juan Felipe Galeana Madrigal is wanted in the 2016 shooting death of Francisco Javier Mendoza.

Police responded to a report of gunshots at around 7:20 p.m. on May 7, 2016 in the 9700 block of NE 138th Place in Kirkland. Officers were directed to 9732 NE 138th Place where through a window they observed a male gunshot victim inside the residence. The man in the house was Mendoza. He was taken to Harborview where he was later pronounced dead.

“Kirkland Police Detectives processed the crime scene which was the beginning of a several month long investigation into the crime,” said Kirkland Police Department Lt. Rob Saloum. “Detectives were able to establish probable cause for the arrest of Juan Felipe Galeana Madrigal, or “Pelon”, as he is also known.”

Kirkland detectives believe the altercation took place because of a drug trafficing incident.

“The area residents were not believed to have been in any additional danger as a result,” Saloum said. “Efforts to locate Madrigal without his knowledge have been unsuccessful and the Department is now asking for the public’s help in locating him.”

Madrigal is described as a 31-year-old Hispanic-male, 5-foot-5, 130 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. He is known to where a mustache with goatee and has “Famlia” tattooed on the right side of his head. He is also known to frequent motels in Auburn and cities in South King County and has family in Tacoma.

Madrigal has ties to family in Southern California and is known to frequent Oregon State and was last known to be in the Palm Desert area in September. He is involved in the trafficking of narcotics up and down the west coast and is known to go by the alias Jose Gerardo De Dios Medrano; and “PELON”.

Medrano is considered armed and dangerous. The public is asked to call the police using 911 immediately with any information on his whereabouts or the crime.

Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound will pay a $1,000 cash reward for information leading to an arrest. Members of the public can submit the information anonymously via the P3 Tips App on your phone or by calling the hot line at 1-800-222-TIPS.