Man suspected in fatal shooting at Tacoma homeless camp released from jail
A 33-year-old man suspected of fatally shooting someone at a homeless encampment in Tacoma has been released from jail.
He was booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder for Thursday’s homicide near Sixth Avenue and South M Street.
Over the weekend, he posted $50,000 bail and was released.
Pierce County prosecutors said a charging decision cannot be made right now because Tacoma police are still investigating.
Few details have been released about the shooting, which occurred about 7:40 p.m. Thursday.
Several people called 911 to report hearing gunshots.
When officers arrived, they found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound. He later died at a local hospital.
The 38-year-old victim has not been publicly identified.
At the scene, the man booked into jail in the shooting approached police and told them he’d shot the victim. He was arrested hours later after being interviewed.
The man told police he and a friend went to the camp to confront a homeless person about a theft. Once there, the man’s friend hit several tents with a stick, records say.
“In response to his tent getting hit, the victim exited his tent with a handgun, later determined to be a BB gun,” according to court documents. The suspect “states that the victim pointed the gun at him, and in response he drew his holstered handgun and shot the victim.”
Before the shooting, two women were injured by the man with the stick, one struck in the head and another in the arm.
People who live in the encampment say the victim was defending the women who were assaulted by the suspects.
“I was crying out and I fell to the ground last night and I got a concussion out of it,” Vicky SwimsUnder, one of the women assaulted, told KOMO News. SwimsUnder said the victim was trying to protect her and her daughter.
Police have declined to release details about the incident, saying only that the investigation is active and ongoing.
Local homeless advocacy groups said the incident highlights the need for safe housing for all members of the community.
“This attack underscores the reality that our community must ensure that there is sufficient housing for all people. This is a public safety issue for the entire community,” Kevin Glackin-Coley, director of special projects for the Tacoma-Pierce County Coalition to End Homelessness, said in a statement. “If people have safe places to stay, it will create a safer community for all of us - unhoused and housed alike.”
A vigil was held Friday night at the place where the victim was shot.
This is the second homicide at a Tacoma homeless encampment this year.
On Aug. 15, Terrance Wilkins was shot to death in the 6600 block of South Alaska Street by three masked men who tried to rob a group of homeless people.
Police have not made any arrests in that case.
This story was originally published December 7, 2020 at 1:39 PM.
