On the morning of April 4, 2024, a tragedy unfolded in the parking lot of an IHOP restaurant in Federal Way, Washington, that ended the life of 2-year-old Synsyr Lewis, a Black/African American male. The young boy was in a car with his father and 1-year-old sibling, waiting to pick up his mother who worked nearby. Shortly before 10 a.m., a light-colored Hyundai Sonata entered the parking lot, circled the father's vehicle multiple times, and then stopped directly in front of it.
A figure emerged from the Sonata and fired approximately 15 shots into the windshield of the family's car.
Synsyr's father attempted to shield his children by pushing them down as the gunfire erupted. After the assailant fled, the father realized his 2-year-old son had been shot. He rushed the critically injured toddler to St. Francis Hospital. Synsyr was subsequently transferred to Harborview Medical Center, where he tragically succumbed to a gunshot wound to the head. The initial investigation suggested that the child's father was the intended target of the shooting and had returned fire in self-defense as the suspect fled.
The investigation into the senseless killing led to the identification and arrest of two suspects. The first to be taken into custody, on October 2, was 17-year-old Jayson Jack, a cousin of Synsyr's mother. Despite being 16 at the time of the shooting, Jack was charged as an adult with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. Surveillance footage and ammunition found in Jack's room matching the casings at the scene linked him to the crime.
Several months later, on December 18, a second suspect, 31-year-old Jerome Lewis, was arrested in Alameda, California. Investigators allege that Lewis had an ongoing dispute, described as "bad blood," with the victim's father. Phone records reportedly show that on the morning of the shooting, Jack's mother informed Lewis that Synsyr's father was in the IHOP parking lot. It is alleged that Lewis then drove to Jack's apartment, and together they went to the restaurant in a stolen car. Lewis is accused of being the driver, while Jack was the gunman. Lewis's DNA was reportedly found on the steering wheel and gear shifter of the getaway vehicle. He faces charges of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
