The family of the man who was shot to death insists he was an innocent victim, but police say Shiloh Drott was the intended victim of the shooting that broke out at a Pacific community center in the presence of young children on Friday night.

Drott's family members were present at the Regional Justice Center on Monday when a judge ordered three suspects of the shooting to be held for investigation of murder. Investigators believe Sophetheara Kim, 22, pulled the trigger with his accomplice, Chatri Thip, 19, present, then got into a car driven by Salomon Phe, 19, and fled.

Just minutes after the three suspects made their court appearance, Drott's family members reached out to cousins of the man accused of pulling the trigger.

"It's not their fault he did this. He's a grown man. He makes his decisions himself," said Crystal Drott, the victim's sister, of the suspected gunman.

"They just apologized to us. They're sorry, too. They can only do so much right now. There's still a lot of stuff unanswered, and maybe we can get those answers from them," said Chris Hill, the victim's brother.

Drott and his friends had just finished a basketball game and were about to eat pizza when he was gunned down in cold blood in front of his friends and other young people - including some children as young as 4 or 5 years old.

Police believe Kim fired eight shots into the crowded Pacific Community Center. Drott, 21, was hit under his left arm in the chest and died.

"He was like, sitting in his chair. He was like, "What's going on?" And another bullet came and hit him, he just fell on the ground," said 11-year-old Kaleb Shoute, who was sitting next to Drott when he was shot to death.

Detectives are still trying to figure out what happened before the gunfire. They're reviewing surveillance footage from City Hall as well as from a surveillance camera of a store across the street.

"Just got done with the Gui's Market video and it showed our shooter and the accomplice entering and leaving the store prior to the shooting," said Det. Steve Churchel.

There was initially some confusion as to whether Drott was the intended victim of the gunfire, but court documents released on Monday described tension that had built up between Drott and Kim in the moments leading up to the shooting.

Drott and Thip were leaving Gui's Market when they allegedly caught a dirty look from someone at the community center, the documents said.

Investigators said Kim and Thip went looking for that person who had reportedly shown disrespect, and found Drott sitting next to a window. Thip told police Kim then put up his hands as if challenging Drott to a fight, then pull out his handgun. Thip said he did not believe Drott saw Kim's gun.

"The subject inside the room basically gave them the finger and the suspect pulled out a gun and started firing," said Churchel.

When Kim began firing into the window of the community center, Thip said he ran back to a jeep which was being driven by Phe and told him to "get out of here because Sophetheara did something bad."

Kim soon caught up with the jeep and the three of them rode away to a nearby house where they were later arrested, according to police documents. Investigators have recovered the murder weapon.

Drott's family has insisted their loved one was not a part of the confrontation. Without any further evidence, they said, their loved one has to be considered an innocent victim.

"My brother is a good guy. He was doing what you're supposed to be doing," said Drott's sister. "He loved to play basketball. And we've gone there (the community center) since we were kids. I don't think something like this would happen in our town."

Detectives said at least one of the suspects claim to belong to a gang, but said the victim was not involved in gangs.

Drott's dad, Roy, all along has said that the gunman was aiming for other kids and shot his son instead. He says his son never looked for trouble.

"He loved basketball. He loved classic cars. Music. He had lots of friends," Roy Drott said. "Doesn't make sense to any of us."

Drott was well-known and well-liked by many, including the mayor, in the small town of Pacific, where he grew up and was considered a mentor to teens in the community.

The city of Pacific will have grief counselors talk with the dozens of children who watched a man murdered before their eyes.

A memorial sprang up near the scene of the deadly shooting a short time after it happened, and has become a focal point for the shell-shocked community since then. A candlelight vigil was held there Saturday night, and people have continued to gather there.

Kim and Thip are being held on $1 million bail at the Regional Justice Center in Kent, while Phe is being held in lieu of $500,000.

The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office has through Wednesday to file charges. bail.