Suspected shooter arrested in University Place double homicide

A man suspected of fatally shooting two people inside a car in University Place last month has been arrested.

Superior Court Commissioner Meagan Foley ordered the 21-year-old held without bail Tuesday, pending an arraignment set for Friday.

He is being held for investigation of two counts of first-degree murder but has not yet been charged.

Pierce County sheriff’s detectives have been searching for the gunman since May 14 when Adrian Valencia and Wilberth Acala were found shot in the head.

A neighbor discovered a Dodge Charger blocking the road in the 6100 block of 63rd Street West and called police, believing the men inside were passed out.

When deputies arrived, they determined Valencia, 19, and Acala, 22, were dead.

Investigators believe they were killed by two shooters over a drug deal.

Video surveillance shows two men walking up the street and away from the shooting scene at 3:42 a.m. on May 14.

The victims’ bodies were found around 5:30 a.m.

It’s unclear why the victims met the other men in University Place. Neither Valencia or Acala live in that area.

Valencia had prior drug-related arrests and Acala crossed the Mexican border in December, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call Tacoma-Pierce County Crimestoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

The second suspect remains at large.

This story was originally published June 5, 2018 at 8:34 AM with the headline "Suspected shooter arrested in University Place double homicide."