Tacoma man charged in beating death after drunken argument

A Tacoma man charged with beating another man to death after a drunken argument is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Lloyd Gray, 24, was charged Monday with first-degree manslaughter in the July 10 death of Emmitt Taylor Jr., 59.

Police were called to the 1100 block of Martin Luther King Junior Way and found Taylor lying in the street, bleeding from a head wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A woman at a nearby homeless camp told detectives she had been drinking with Taylor when Gray arrived and joined them.

At some point, the two men argued but she could not recall what about or who threw the first punch, police said.

Taylor eventually tired of the fight and walked away. Gray followed, she told police.

“The witness said she later observed Taylor laying on the ground and asked Gray if Taylor was OK,” according to charging papers. “Gray told her that Taylor was sleeping.”

Taylor suffered head trauma and a brain injury, records show.

This story was originally published July 19, 2016 at 7:43 AM with the headline "Tacoma man charged in beating death after drunken argument."