Police say a 25-year-old employee was found shot inside the closed beer garden Saturday morning.
SEATTLE, WA — Seattle police arrested a 20-year-old man Monday in the fatal shooting of Growler Guys employee Quusaa “Q” Margarsa, who was found dead Saturday morning inside the Lake City Way Northeast business.
The arrest moved the case from a weekend homicide investigation into a court review focused on surveillance video, witness accounts and a self-defense claim from the suspect’s attorney. Police booked Lucas Logan into the King County Jail for investigation of murder after detectives connected him to the May 9 killing in the 8500 block of Lake City Way Northeast.
Officers were called just before 9 a.m. Saturday after employees arrived to open the taproom and found Margarsa dead inside. Seattle Fire Department crews pronounced him dead at the scene. Police said Margarsa, 25, had apparent gunshot wounds. Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes said at the scene that investigators were focused on the business, where officers, detectives and support staff spent hours processing evidence. “How can we make sure that we’re doing everything in our power to bring justice to this family, because quite frankly, they deserve it,” Barnes said Saturday.
Investigators later said the shooting happened hours before Margarsa’s co-workers found him. According to a police arrest report described in court, Margarsa closed the Growler Guys around 1:30 a.m. Saturday and later went to a hookah lounge on Aurora Avenue. Friends told investigators he left the lounge with a man and a woman he had met there. Surveillance video showed Margarsa, Logan and the woman arriving back at the closed Growler Guys at about 5:25 a.m. Police said Margarsa had a key because his job duties included closing the business. Investigators said the three spent about an hour inside drinking and that the interaction first appeared friendly. Around 6:40 a.m., police said, video showed Margarsa and Logan arguing as they moved toward the door they had used to enter.
At a Tuesday court hearing, prosecutors said Margarsa was trying to open the door when he was shot. Deputy prosecutor Chris Anderson said Logan pulled a gun and fired as Margarsa reached up with his key. “Mr. Margarsa was found with the key to that door in his dead hand. Not a weapon, a key,” Anderson said. Police said the woman later told investigators that Margarsa wanted Logan to leave the bar and wanted her to stay. Prosecutors said they do not believe the woman had any role in the shooting and said she did not directly witness it. They said she contacted police through a private attorney and is cooperating with investigators.
Defense attorney Pete Mazzone gave a different account during the hearing, saying Logan acted in self-defense and in defense of the woman. “This is a clear case of not only self-defense, but defense of others,” Mazzone said. He said Logan and the woman felt trapped inside the closed business and believed Margarsa did not want to let the woman leave. Mazzone said Logan tried to surrender earlier but could not reach police until Monday. He said Logan was willing to walk detectives through what happened. Prosecutors rejected the defense account in court, pointing to the surveillance evidence and saying Margarsa was not armed when he was shot.
King County District Court set Logan’s bail at $2 million after hearing from both sides. Prosecutors said they were reviewing the case and expected to decide whether to file formal charges in the coming days. Logan remained in the King County Jail after the hearing. Police said the case is being handled by the Seattle Police Department Homicide Unit. The department listed the incident as a North Precinct homicide investigation and said the killing happened near the 8500 block of Lake City Way Northeast. Police have not publicly released a final motive.
The killing shook customers, friends and family members who gathered outside the north Seattle beer garden over the weekend. Flowers, candles and handwritten messages were left near the business in memory of Margarsa, who friends and co-workers called “Q.” Growler Guys owner Kelly Dole described him as warm, upbeat and close with a tight group of friends. “He was the type of friend that everybody wanted to have,” Dole said. “He always had a smile; he was so buoyant, you could never get him down.” Margarsa graduated from Nathan Hale High School and was remembered by school community members as part of the school’s 2017 championship basketball team.
The case stands with Logan jailed on investigation of murder, bail set at $2 million and prosecutors weighing formal charges after the Tuesday hearing. The next key step is the charging decision expected in King County court records in the coming days.
Author note: Last updated May 13, 2026.