Police ask for public’s help finding New Year’s Day murder suspects
The Tacoma Police Department is asking for help finding two murder suspects following a house party shooting that killed 25-year-old Eugune Cortez Saunders III on Jan. 1.
Barkei Ben Isreal Brinson, also known as “Kai”, and Aiden Terrel Finley are wanted for murder, according to a Crime Stoppers post Saturday.
The pair attended a house party on Tacoma’s east side of Tacoma on New Year's Day, the post read. When the party let out, Brinson and Finley accosted Saunders outside the house. Saunders was then fatally shot at close range and the suspects fled.
Officers reached the area around 3:39 a.m. They attempted lifesaving measures on the victim until Tacoma Fire Department Personnel arrived, but he died on the scene, according to a TPD news release.
Officials encourage anyone with information about the suspects’ location to send an anonymous tip on the Crime Stoppers app, website, or by calling 1-800-222-TIPS.
The shooting was the first homicide Tacoma Police responded to in 2026.
