Before he shot up South Hill Mall, burglar set his boss’ house on fire, police say
A man accused of shooting up the South Hill Mall on a burglary spree used a gun stolen from his boss’ house after he tried to set the home on fire, according to court documents.
Jordan Poisson, 21, is now charged with first-degree arson, first-degree burglary and theft of a firearm for the new crimes.
He pleaded not guilty Tuesday and was ordered jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Charging papers give this account:
Poisson was working for a Milton man on residential construction sites until the two had an argument at a job site.
After the disagreement, “the defendant approached (his boss) in such a manner that (his boss) believed he was about to be assaulted,” prosecutors wrote. “Concerned about the behavior, (his boss) decided he did not want the defendant doing further work for him.”
The boss allegedly told Poisson there was no more work.
When his boss returned from vacation July 24, he found a broken window, open sliding glass door and evidence that someone tried to light the house on fire.
The sprinkler system apparently came on, dousing the fire.
A container with gasoline and Poisson’s baseball cap were found in the home, police said.
Stolen from the boss’ house were a Norinco 9 mm pistol, jewelry, a laptop, checkbook and other firearms.
Police say the stolen handgun was used in the South Hill Mall shooting.
On July 23, Poisson allegedly broke into the mall through two A/C units on the roof and used a pistol to shoot out the doors of a store so he could gain access to the mall.
He shot up doors and display cases in four stores and stole about $5,000 worth of merchandise, Puyallup police said.
Officers arrested Poisson as he ran across the parking lot carrying the stolen loot.
Damages to the mall were estimated to be about $10,000.
In that case, Poisson was charged with first-degree burglary, first-degree theft, first-degree malicious mischief and discharging a firearm.
He was held on $200,000 bail and placed on suicide watch at Pierce County Jail.
At the arraignment, Poisson’s lawyer expressed concerns about his mental health.
Police have had run-ins with Poisson in recent years.
“Milton police also noted there have been multiple documented incidents where their department has had contact with the defendant under circumstances where deadly force was nearly used,” according to court records.
In 2018, officers used a stun gun on Poisson after a foot pursuit when he allegedly refused to cooperate. Police had been called to Milton Community Park when passersby saw Poisson running around with a fishing knife.
Officers also contacted him earlier this year after his family called 911 because Poisson punched a mirror and said he heard voices.
This story was originally published July 31, 2019 at 10:30 AM.
