Man shot by Tacoma police after firing at sergeant blamed a ‘bad trip,’ records say
A felon shot and injured by Tacoma police after allegedly shooting at three officers blamed the incident on a drug-induced “bad trip,” according to court records.
Antonio Julius Bradley, 39, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to two counts of first-degree assault and one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. He was ordered jailed in lieu of $1 million.
The man Bradley is accused of shooting before police arrived remains in critical condition and it is unknown if he will survive.
Charging papers give this account of the shootings:
Several people called 911 about 7 a.m. Sept. 2 to report hearing gunshots and a woman screaming in the 3800 block of South D Street.
Witnesses reported seeing a truck drive away with a man and woman inside, and described the shooter as wearing a Seahawks jersey.
The gunman reportedly went inside a house at South 40th and South D streets, which is where two officers responded.
As police arrived, they spotted Bradley coming outside but he retreated after spotting officers and yelled, “The police are here, get out of my house,” records say.
Officers could not immediately find Bradley, who fit the description of the gunman, so they began interviewing witnesses.
Shortly afterward, Bradley allegedly walked outside and fired three rounds at a sergeant sitting inside his patrol car.
The sergeant returned fire through his front windshield. Two other officers at the scene also shot at Bradley, who was struck once in the stomach.
As he was taken into custody, records say Bradley apologized to police for shooting at them.
A Glock .9mm and ammunition was found inside the vehicle next to where Bradley was standing.
Detectives later interviewed Bradley, who said he smoked a cigarette soaked in PCP for the first time in 20 years and didn’t remember much about the incident. He recalled hearing someone tell him to show his hands, and something about glass.
He said he did not remember shooting at police, or being shot.
“The defendant stated, ‘I must have had a bad trip,’” prosecutors wrote in charging papers.
Few details have been released about the shooting prior to Tacoma police showing up.
Bradley is suspected of shooting a man, who was passenger in the truck seen fleeing the scene. The woman took the victim to St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma so he could be treated for a gunshot wound to the neck.
Bradley has prior convictions for felony harassment, unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, vehicular assault and escape.
At the time of the shooting, he had a warrant for failing to appear in court for a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm.
The three Tacoma officers who fired at Bradley were placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure after a police shooting. They have not been identified.
Both the shooting and the police shooting will be investigated by the Pierce County Force Investigation Team, which is comprised of personnel from multiple local law enforcement agencies.
