3 plead not guilty in drive-by shooting outside Tacoma bar

A drive-by shooting early Saturday outside a Tacoma bar might have been retaliation for a fight earlier in the night but the victims weren’t part of the earlier brawl, according to court records.

No one was injured in the shooting, which happen about 1:10 a.m. in the 8400 block of South Hosmer Street.

Three people were charged.

Omari Brown, 24, of Kent, and Devonte Parson, 22, of Federal Way, pleaded not guilty Monday to four counts of first-degree assault, drive-by shooting and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. Bail was set at $500,000 for each.

Cheryl Lowe, 23, of Seattle, who was driving the men, according to police, pleaded not guilty to drive-by shooting and first-degree rendering criminal assistance. She was being held in lieu of $75,000 bail.

Pierce County prosecutors did not charge a second woman arrested after the shooting.

Charging documents give this account:

A fight broke out inside the bar, and security guards escorted all those involved outside. Two security guards then heard gunshots and saw two men, one with a gun, get in a Nissan sedan.

The people who were shot at told police they left the club because they feared for their safety after witnessing the fight inside. Two armed men approached and opened fire on the group. They hid behind a truck.

The victims were not involved in the fight at the bar, and it was unclear why they were targeted.

Detectives found seven 9mm casings and four .22-caliber casings at the site of the shooting. The truck was damaged, and one shot hit the bar above the entrance.

An officer two blocks away heard the call, spotted the fleeing Nissan and pulled it over.

Parson allegedly tried to ran away and had to be shot with a stun gun before he was taken into custody. The others were arrested as well.

Police later found a stolen 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a stolen .22-caliber semi-automatic pistol in Lowe’s car.

Parson has five previous felony convictions and seven misdemeanor convictions, records show. Brown has a felony conviction for first-degree robbery and six misdemeanor convictions.

This story was originally published May 19, 2015 at 11:10 AM with the headline "3 plead not guilty in drive-by shooting outside Tacoma bar."