Spanaway store clerk charged in fatal shooting of shoplifter

A Spanaway store clerk was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder in the shooting death of a man who tried to steal cigarettes.

Min Sik Kim, 30, was arrested Monday after Pierce County sheriff’s detectives reviewed surveillance footage from the Pacific Quick Stop, which Kim owns.

Kim pleaded not guilty at arraignment Tuesday, and Court Commissioner Meagan Foley set bail at $200,000.

Officials said Jakeel Mason, 21, was shot as he tried to run out of the store Friday night after a struggle with Kim. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Charging papers give this account:

Kim went outside the store about 9:45 p.m. to tell a group of men who were loitering and drinking alcohol to leave. While Kim was outside, Mason took several packs of cigarettes from behind the counter and tried to shove them into his pockets.

After a customer told Kim what was happening, he ran inside the store and pulled out a handgun, pointing it at Mason. Kim then holstered the gun and punched Mason in the face.

The men began fighting, with both throwing punches.

Mason eventually freed himself and started for the door.

Surveillance video “shows Kim positioned himself behind Mason, having to clear himself from a shelf containing merchandise,” records show.

“Kim raised the gun and shot two rounds at Mason as Mason neared the door in an effort to flee.”

Mason was shot twice in the back.

When deputies arrived, Mason was lying near the front of the store, Kim had holstered his gun, and Mason’s friend had stayed to give his account.

Kim allegedly told investigators he pulled his gun out during the fight and shot Mason. A witness supported his account.

Video footage, however, shows Mason no longer was a threat to Kim and was running away when he was shot, prosecutors said.

Friday’s incident was the second shooting at the store in about a month.

Kim’s wife was shot in the stomach Feb. 18 during an attempted robbery where she and the would-be robber fired at the same time. The would-be robber wasn’t shot and later was arrested and charged.

This story was originally published March 29, 2016 at 8:48 AM with the headline "Spanaway store clerk charged in fatal shooting of shoplifter."