On the evening of November 24, 2023, a 29-year-old Hawaiian Native man named Malkie Loeak was at his home in Auburn, Washington, a place where he was known to be a dedicated family man and a beloved father. A knock at the door of his apartment in the 31600 block of Military Road South disrupted what should have been a normal Friday night. When Loeak went to see who it was, he found the peephole obscured.
The knocking escalated to banging, and when he opened the door, he was shot multiple times right on his doorstep. The tragic event unfolded in the presence of his two-year-old daughter.
Emergency services were called to the scene shortly after 8 p.m. following multiple 911 calls reporting the gunfire. When King County Sheriff's deputies and medical personnel arrived, they found Loeak with fatal injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The King County Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed his death as a homicide resulting from multiple gunshot wounds. His partner described him as a man with a "really big heart" who had no known enemies or criminal history, making the violent act all the more shocking to his loved ones and the community. He was a hardworking man in the pest control business and was considered the backbone of his family, caring not only for his partner and their four children but also for other extended family members.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the King County Sheriff's Office launched an intensive search for the gunman, deploying a helicopter and K9 units to scour the area around the apartment complex, but the suspect was not found and remains at large. The Major Crimes department is actively investigating the case, but as of late 2023, no suspects have been identified, and no arrests have been made in connection with the murder. The authorities have urged anyone with information to come forward as they continue to seek justice for Malkie Loeak and his grieving family. His death was one of three fatal shootings that occurred in the Auburn area within a six-day span, though officials have not stated if the cases are connected.
