Suspect in Tacoma homicide from January arrested

A suspect in the January killing of a Tacoma man was apprehended overnight.

Perris-Karlton L. Daniel III, 26, pleaded not guilty at arraignment Thursday to charges of first-degree murder, robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Kitty-Ann van Doorninck set his bail at $1,250,000.

Charging papers state that Daniel was acting as an accomplice on Jan. 17 when he and another man kicked in the apartment door of Jawuan Swift, 24, in the 600 block of South Steele Street. When Swift investigated the commotion, he was shot and died at the scene.

Swift, his girlfriend and her young child were asleep around 2:30 a.m. when the incident began, charging papers state.

When Swift opened the bedroom door he was shot by one of the two men. Both had guns.

The men demanded money, and Swift’s girlfriend gave them about $2,000. Although both men wore ski masks, the girlfriend noted one man’s distinctive eyes.

Later, the girlfriend found a picture of the man on Facebook and identified him to law enforcement.

Charging papers list that man as Da’ron Lemar Jackson-Warren, 27. He’s been charged with first-degree murder and robbery. Jackson-Warren is currently serving time in state prison in another case.

He was sentenced to a year and a day Oct. 26 in King County Superior Court after he pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery. Charging papers in that case say he tried to punch security officers while stealing from a Bellevue department store.

A bench warrant for his arrest has been issued Swift’s killing.

Detectives used video surveillance to trace a license plate number on the car the two men used the night of the killing. They also received a tip that Daniel and Jackson-Warren had committed the fatal robbery.

Police obtained search warrants to scour cell phone records and social media activity. Using calls and cell phone towers, detectives were able to track Jackson-Warren’s and Daniel’s movements the day of the killing.

This story was originally published December 20, 2018 at 11:58 AM.