BB gun used to kill homeless man in Tacoma

A homeless man found dead Tuesday in Tacoma was killed by a single BB gun shot to the heart, officials said Thursday.

Dustin Kopp, 32, was found dead on a steep embankment in the 3100 block of South 23rd Street. He lived beneath the state Route 16 overpass near South Cedar Street.

The man accused of shooting him, Sergio Suarez, 36, lived there as well.

Pierce County prosecutors on Thursday charged Suarez with second-degree murder and second-degree assault for two attacks on two different men believed to have taken place Monday night.

He pleaded not guilty at arraignment, and Court Commissioner Meagan Foley set his bail at $1 million.

Kopp was killed; the other man was not hurt.

It wasn’t until medical examiners performed an autopsy that they realized Kopp’s death was a homicide.

“The medical examiner reported that with the extent of the injury to the heart, the victim would have died quickly and could not have walked more than 30 feet or so,” according to charging papers.

Detectives interviewed transients who lived near the overpass and learned Suarez was seen with a BB gun Monday during a confrontation with another homeless man who accused him of stealing his property.

Charging documents give this account:

A man asked Kopp to watch his belongings while he went to get food Monday night. When he returned, his things were gone and Kopp told him Suarez had stolen his property.

The man went to talk to Suarez.

“When he accused the defendant of stealing his property, the defendant responded by shooting him with a BB gun, and swinging a bat at him,” the court documents state.

The man went in search of a gun but soon gave up and went to sleep. On Tuesday morning, he went looking for Kopp and heard he was dead.

Kopp’s body was found about 10:25 a.m.

Police interviewed Suarez and found a BB gun and a jar of BBs among his possessions.

Suarez allegedly told detectives he was angry at Kopp for telling the other man Suarez stole his stuff, and went to confront Kopp.

“He admitted that during the argument he shot Mr. Kopp in the chest with the BB gun,” according to charging papers.

It’s unclear whether Suarez did steal the other man’s belongings.

This story was originally published October 20, 2016 at 12:40 PM with the headline "BB gun used to kill homeless man in Tacoma."