2nd suspect arrested in fatal drive-by shooting in Puyallup
A second man has been arrested in connection with a fatal drive-by shooting in Puyallup.
Police on Wednesday said a 22-year-old man was taken into custody Sunday by the U.S. Marshal Service’s Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force. The man was found in Long Beach, California.
He is expected to be extradited to Pierce County and charged with the March 15 killing of Antonio Erb, 20.
Prosecutors have already charged the suspected getaway driver, 21-year-old Patrick Shepherd, with first-degree murder and second-degree murder. Shepherd pleaded not guilty to both counts and is being jailed in lieu of $1 million bail.
“Detectives do not believe that this was a random act of violence, and there is no safety concern for the community,” Puyallup police Capt. Ryan Portmann said in a written statement.
No motive has been released in the homicide.
Charging papers give this account of the shooting:
Shepherd and the suspected gunman were stopped in a parking lot when they spotted Erb driving by. The suspected gunman allegedly told Shepherd to follow Erb then placed a handgun in his lap.
Erb drove to the 600 block of 8th Street NW and parked in front of a home.
The suspected gunman then leaned out of the passenger side window and fired several rounds, hitting Erb once. Erb tried to run for cover but collapsed on the front porch. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives found 11 shell casings in the street and spoke to witnesses who described seeing a tan Dodge Durango speed away from the scene.
The Durango was later linked to Shepherd, who allegedly admitted after he was arrested to being the getaway driver.
“During the interview, defendant Shepherd admitted that there were several indicators that the shooting suspect was going to shoot the victim, and confirmed that he could have made different choices,” prosecutors wrote in charging papers. “He clarified that he was never threatened or under duress from the shooting suspect during the incident.”
This story was originally published March 31, 2021 at 12:17 PM.
