Motive a little fuzzy in sports bar shooting

It started as a drunken fight in the parking lot of a sports bar in Tacoma.

It ended with one man being shot several times and another man with a serious head wound.

Nobody remembered what the confrontation was about.

Nearly a year later, Pierce County prosecutors have charged a 28-year-old man with first-degree assault, second-degree assault and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

Carlos Hull, the accused shooter, is already serving time in prison for attempted second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm in a separate incident.

The shooting happened Aug. 23, 2015, outside a sports bar in the 10700 block of Pacific Avenue.

The victims went there to celebrate an upcoming wedding for one of the men.

In the parking lot, the two began arguing with a group of four to five men, according to charging papers.

Witnesses said Hull hit one of the men in the head with a gun and then backed up and opened fire. One of the victims was struck in his legs, abdomen and wrist. The other man suffered a head wound. Both survived.

The investigation eventually led sheriff’s detectives to Hull. When they spoke with him in prison recently, Hull allegedly admitted to being at the bar that night but denied having a gun or being involved.

But he couldn’t be sure.

“He said he had been intoxicated and did not really remember much from that night,” records show.

Hull has at least five prior felony convictions.

This story was originally published August 16, 2016 at 6:46 AM with the headline "Motive a little fuzzy in sports bar shooting."