Man shot at apartment near Tacoma for ‘mean mugging’ visitor, charges say
A 21-year-old man killed at an apartment near Tacoma last week was shot because he was “mean mugging” a family member’s acquaintance, according to court documents.
On Monday, 27-year-old Xavier Black entered a not guilty plea after being charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm in connection with Thursday’s death of Lino Shepard.
Black was ordered jailed in lieu of $1 million.
A man dating the victim’s sister called 911 about 11:30 a.m. Thursday to report the shooting, which occurred at his apartment in the 2400 block of 100th Street Court South.
Shepard died at the scene of a gunshot wound to the neck.
Several several people pointed investigators toward Black, who was found later that day at an apartment complex in Steilacoom.
Charging papers give this account of the homicide:
A man engaged to Shepard’s sister brought a friend and Black back to the apartment to smoke marijuana.
While hanging out, Shepard kept “mean mugging” Black, records say.
The man dating Shepard’s sister “said he tried to calm the situation and explained that the victim often engaged in that type of behavior,” prosecutors wrote in charging papers.
Moments after the man went into the bedroom, Black allegedly shot Shepard.
The victim’s sister said Shepard was schizophrenic and his behavior could sometimes be considered odd.
She said she heard the apartment’s sliding glass door shatter and ran out to discover her brother had been shot.
Shepard was shot in the kitchen but managed to walk outside to the patio after the shooting, records say.
A large amount of blood and shell casings were found in the kitchen.
After the shooting, witnesses said Black changed his pants and had his ex-girlfriend drive him away.
After he was arrested, Black told detectives he was tired of Shepard “mean mugging” him and spotted a bulge in the victim’s pocket.
“The defendant said he was afraid that he was going to be attacked by the victim, so he grabbed a gun off of the kitchen counter and shot the victim,” prosecutors wrote in charging papers. “He also said that the shooting was accidental, but he could not explain how he accidentally fired more than one round.”
The gun, a CZ-83 9 mm Makarov, was found hidden beneath a mattress in the bedroom.
Black is a felon and prohibited from having any weapons. His prior convictions include second-degree assault, third-degree assault of a child and tampering with a witness.
Shepard’s two sisters attended the arraignment Monday, saying they needed to be a voice for their brother since he no longer can speak for himself.
They said he loved music, 2Pac, soccer and books. They also said Black appeared to show no remorse in the courtroom and they don’t think he should ever be set free.
“He took my best friend. He took someone I can never get back,” said Selena Martinez-Perez.
This story was originally published November 9, 2020 at 3:01 PM.
