Teen fatally shot while driving in Tacoma has been identified
A 16-year-old boy shot while driving in Tacoma has died.
Shane Kolowitz of Spanaway died of a gunshot wound to the neck, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office.
He had been in critical condition since he was shot Jan. 28 at South 27th Street and South Yakima Avenue.
Two brothers, ages 13 and 15, were charged earlier this month with three counts of first-degree assault and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
The oldest brother is also charged with attempted first-degree robbery and unlawful delivery of a controlled substance.
Prosecutors said they expect to upgrade charges now that Kolowitz has died.
The brothers are being held at Remann Hall juvenile detention facility.
Charging papers give this account of the shooting:
Kolowitz took his pregnant girlfriend and her cousin to buy acid from the older brother, but during the drug deal, the older brother allegedly tried to rob Kolowitz at gunpoint.
The teens drove away, and the older brother fired several shots at his car, records say.
As Kolowitz drove near South 27th Street and South Yakima Avenue, the younger brother allegedly opened fire on the car and one of the bullets struck Kolowitz.
Officers arrived to find him slumped in a Chevy Malibu that had multiple bullet holes in the hood, windshield and passenger door.
The younger brother was arrested after his mother got him on the phone with officers, who convinced him to return to the scene.
He told police he was walking down the street when someone in the Chevy pointed a gun at him.
The 13-year-old “said he feared for his safety and aimed his own gun at the driver through the passenger side of the car,” prosecutors wrote in charging papers. “He was adamant he feared he would be shot and acted in self-defense.”
A GoFundMe page raised nearly $6,000 for Kolowitz’s family.
“We can honor Shane by being there for family and friends. For reaching out to each other more often. To hug each other a little tighter and longer. For letting the past, live in the past. Letting those we love, know how much we love them. Shane has touched so many lives and will be greatly missed, every day,” it reads.
This story was originally published February 8, 2021 at 3:23 PM.
