6 charged in drive-by killing of teen outside Tacoma store

Pierce County prosecutors have charged six people in last month’s fatal drive-by shooting of a Tacoma teenager mistaken for a gang member.

Brandon Morris, 19, was standing with friends May 1 outside a convenience store at South 45th Street and South Puget Sound Avenue when a vehicle drove by and he was shot in the head, according to charging papers.

Police said Morris and those with him had no gang affiliations, but at least one was wearing red clothing, and investigators think the group was mistaken for gang members.

Five suspects in Morris’ death are behind bars, and the sixth, 17-year-old Clifford Krentkowski, has a warrant for his arrest.

The six, accused of being in the vehicle from which the shots were fired, are charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder and four counts of first-degree assault.

Those in custody are 23-year-old Alexander Kitt, 17-year-old Lance Milton-Ausley, 16-year-old Jeremy Bolieu, 16-year-old Jermohnn Gore and a 15-year-old charged as a juvenile.

The 15-year-old has a hearing in September to determine whether he will be charged as an adult. The News Tribune usually does not name suspects charged as juveniles.

The four in jail who are charged as adults pleaded not guilty and have bails set between $1 million and $4 million.

This story was originally published June 4, 2015 at 1:24 PM with the headline "6 charged in drive-by killing of teen outside Tacoma store."