Bail is set at $750,000 for the man accused of shooting a 23-year-old Centralia woman in the chest in downtown Centralia early Sunday morning.
Dayton Luther Arias, also known as Dayton Luther Lafferty, 23, of Centralia, was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail at 6:51 a.m. on June 30, according to jail records.
While he was booked into the Lewis County Jail under the surname Arias and court documents use that name to refer to him, he insisted during his preliminary hearing on Monday that Lafferty is his correct surname.
He was charged Monday, July 1, in Lewis County Superior Court with one count of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon, a class A felony punishable by up to life in prison.
Arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday, July 3.
The shooting was reported in the 600 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia at approximately 3:01 a.m. on Sunday, June 30, according to court documents and Centralia Police Department call logs. The reporting party advised someone had been shot in front of the Shell gas station.
Officers responded to the gas station parking lot and found a 23-year-old woman who had been shot in the chest, according to court documents.
Witnesses reported a man had shot the woman, dropped the gun and fled the scene.
One witness reported he was walking with the victim “when they observed Dayton Arias in the parking lot holding a handgun,” according to court documents. The victim “knew Arias from school and approached him in an effort to get him to put the gun down,” but, the witness reported, Lafferty allegedly “pointed the gun at (the woman) and fired one shot, striking (her) in the chest.”
He then allegedly “racked the slide and placed the handgun on the ground before leaving the immediate area,” according to the eyewitness report.
An officer located the gun in the street and secured it as evidence.
Witnesses reportedly “pointed out” Lafferty in the nearby area, and he was detained.
When questioned, he allegedly “admitted to shooting (the woman) but claimed he was too intoxicated to provide details,” according to court documents.
The victim was transported by ambulance to Providence Centralia Hospital before being transferred to Tacoma General Hospital for trauma care, according to a news release from the Centralia Police Department. She was still receiving “critical medical care” as of Sunday morning, police stated.
A deputy prosecutor said she is expected to survive.
