Members of home invasion ring targeting Asians arrested for shooting death of mom, police say

Washington state prosecutors said that two suspects arrested for the shooting death of a mother are a part of a greater organization targeting Asian victims.

Snohomish County Major Crimes detectives said in a media briefing Thursday that 28-year-old Kevin Thissel and 23-year-old Chris Johnson were arrested for the shooting death of Irah Sok during a robbery in South Everett in 2022.

'They shot and killed one young mother as her 7-year-old child lay next to her in bed.'

Both are facing a slew of charges, including first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and first-degree kidnapping

"To create a climate of fear, these men burst into their homes in the middle of the night, dressed in black, claiming to be police, and with guns drawn," said U.S. attorney Tessa Gorman. "Tragically, they shot and killed one young mother as her 7-year-old child lay next to her in bed. This indictment seeks to hold them accountable for the terror they visited on our community."

The ongoing investigation is looking for other suspects in the home invasion ring.

"This senseless act of violence deeply impacted our community, leaving a young child without his mother," said Sheriff Susanna Johnson.

Lynwood Police communications manager Maren McKay previously described the international home invasion ring after two other suspects were arrested in May.

Detectives said members of the crime ring would put trackers on cars they found in parking lots of Asian grocery stores and then follow them home in order to rob their homes. Police said they targeted Asians because they perceived them to be "weaker."

"We do suspect that we’ll have some arrests in the future. Unfortunately, detectives do believe that this might be an ongoing problem for the foreseeable future," said McKay.

Detectives from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and the Lynnwood Police Department say that the group is responsible for at least 300 burglaries in King County and Snohomish County since 2021. The stolen goods added up to $5 million in cash and jewelry.

A news video report from KCPQ-TV showed booking photos of the suspects.

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