On Wednesday, May 3, bail was set at $5 million for two adolescents accused of murdering a worker at a Shell station in the Toledo area during an attempted robbery.

On Friday, May 5, court documents filed in the Lewis County Superior Court identified the victim as 30-year-old Navjot Singh.

Taylor K. Lenihan, 16, and Quinton M. Ramey, 17, both of Redding, California, were charged as adults with one count each of first-degree murder, first-degree attempted robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of a stolen firearm, and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm in Lewis County Superior Court on Friday.

While The Chronicle does not typically identify juvenile suspects, their identities were widely disclosed in social media posts by the Lane County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon, where they were being pursued for previous crimes; two of them are being charged as adults.

According to surveillance footage from the Shell station, Singh was stocking shelving on May 3 at 8:46 p.m. when two individuals wearing masks and gloves entered the store. According to court documents, one individual was wearing a light-colored T-shirt and carrying “a long gun with an extended magazine,” while the other was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and carrying “a bag and flex-cuffs.”

The gunman reportedly aimed the weapon at Singh, who was then seen walking toward the cash register.

According to court documents, Singh then “turns his back on the gunman and begins to struggle over the firearm.”

The struggle moved off-screen, but the surveillance camera reportedly captured footage of the individual in the hoodie “pointing something towards the struggle” prior to both individuals fleeing in a white Dodge truck with a temporary license plate and camping equipment in the bed.

The truck purportedly entered the parking lot from the west at 8:45 p.m. on May 3, circled the lot twice, stopped, and reversed before the two occupants exited the vehicle and entered the store, as captured by a separate parking lot camera.

Wednesday, May 3, at 8:49 p.m., a passerby called Lewis County 911 to report seeing two masked individuals fleeing from a store in the 100 block of Mulford Road.

The caller also stated that the two individuals departed in a white extended-cab Dodge pickup truck and that their actions “appeared suspicious,” according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

On May 3, deputies were dispatched at approximately 8:52 p.m.

According to court documents, the first officer on the scene was Lewis County Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew G. Scrivner, who arrived at approximately 9:11 p.m.

Scrivner was “informed there was a person down and not breathing” when he arrived, according to court documents, and he “immediately requested aid units and detectives.” Scrivner stated that he believed Singh had been shot in the torso.

3 May at 9:27 p.m., medical assistance arrived and pronounced Singh dead, according to court documents.

Scrivner is said to have taken preliminary photographs, begun a crime scene record, and secured the scene while awaiting the arrival of additional units.

In the meantime, the store manager called 911 dispatch and informed them he was en route from Vancouver.

At approximately 10:10 p.m. on May 3, a detective documented the scene, which included a spent red shotgun shell next to Sighn’s corpse.

According to court documents, the detective had access to the store’s security footage once the manager arrived.

According to a news release, detectives continued to analyze the crime scene on Thursday, May 4, and requested assistance from the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab Response Team.

Thursday at 12:20 p.m., a law enforcement agency from Florence, Oregon contacted the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office to report “its belief that the vehicle and suspects involved in the death in the Toledo area potentially matched an incident there,” according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.

“They further advised that the vehicle and suspects involved in their incident had been located by authorities with the Sumner Police Department and were currently in custody,” the sheriff’s office reported.

On Thursday, May 4, at 12:55 a.m., three juveniles, a 15-year-old male, Lenihan, and Ramey, were arrested in Sumner for alleged possession of stolen property after law enforcement identified their vehicle, which matched the description of the vehicle seen fleeing the Shell station, as stolen from California.

According to court documents, a “long gun” matching the description of the weapon used in the Toledo robbery was found in the back seat of the vehicle.

“Detectives were able to contact the Sumner Police Department and confirm that the vehicle, firearm, and suspect information were consistent with the homicide investigation occurring in Lewis County,” according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

Lewis County detectives contacted all three suspects and transported them to the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center.

According to the charging documents, Lenihan and Ramey have accomplice liability for several of the charges, including the first-degree murder charges. This means that they “acted as the principal and/or as the accomplice of another person in the commission of the crime,” according to court documents.

Thursday at 12:20 p.m., a law enforcement agency from Florence, Oregon contacted the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office to report “its belief that the vehicle and suspects involved in the death in the Toledo area potentially matched an incident there,” according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.

“They further advised that the vehicle and suspects involved in their incident had been located by authorities with the Sumner Police Department and were currently in custody,” the sheriff’s office reported.
On Thursday, May 4, at 12:55 a.m., three juveniles, a 15-year-old male, Lenihan, and Ramey, were arrested in Sumner for alleged possession of stolen property after law enforcement identified their vehicle, which matched the description of the vehicle seen fleeing the Shell station, as stolen from California.

According to court documents, a “long gun” matching the description of the weapon used in the Toledo robbery was found in the back seat of the vehicle.

“Detectives were able to contact the Sumner Police Department and confirm that the vehicle, firearm, and suspect information were consistent with the homicide investigation occurring in Lewis County,” according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

Lewis County detectives contacted all three suspects and transported them to the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center.

According to the charging documents, Lenihan and Ramey have accomplice liability for several of the charges, including the first-degree murder charges. This means that they “acted as the principal and/or as the accomplice of another person in the commission of the crime,” according to court documents.

Attempted robbery in the first degree is a class A felony that entails a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The utmost sentence for class B felony accomplice liability first-degree murder is 20 years in prison.

According to court personnel, the third juvenile, a 15-year-old male, was “dealt with” in Lewis County Juvenile Court on Friday. Under state law, juvenile court records are confidential and cannot be accessed by the general public.

Friday, Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead requested high bail amounts for Lenihan and Ramey, citing concerns about the allegations in the current case, the Oregon crimes, and the suspects’ dearth of community ties.

When setting parole at $5 million, the judge J. Andrew Toynbee echoed Halstead’s concerns.

Additionally, Toynbee issued an order for DNA testing of both suspects.

Halstead also voiced concern about the two suspects’ communication within the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center on Friday, requesting that they be transferred to the Lewis County Jail.

While a hearing on this matter will likely take place next week, Toynbee issued orders prohibiting the two suspects and the third juvenile from having any contact with each other.

Don Blair, who represents Lenihan, stated that he made it obvious to her that she is not to have any contact with the other two juveniles.

On Thursday, May 11, Lenihan and Ramey both have arraignment proceedings scheduled.

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office requests that anyone with information regarding the case contact them at 360-748-9286 or Lewis County Communications at 360-740-1105.