Tacoma man shot his mom’s boyfriend over alleged abuse, records say
A man shot his mother’s boyfriend at their Tacoma home because he was tired of the man allegedly abusing his mother, court records say.
The shooting took place about 7:35 a.m. Tuesday in the 6400 block of South Fawcett Avenue.
The 48-year-old victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Doctors say he may lose function of an arm.
On Wednesday, the 34-year-old suspected gunman pleaded not guilty to attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault. He was ordered held in lieu of $500,000 bail.
Charging papers give this account of the shooting:
The mother lived at the home with her daughter, son and her boyfriend.
That morning, the daughter sent a text message to her brother saying their mom was fighting with her boyfriend, the boyfriend had assaulted their mom and asked him to come break up the fight.
“She stated that the defendant showed up a short time later and entered the house while armed with a shotgun,” prosecutors wrote in charging papers. “She said that the defendant stood on a few feet away from the victim and fired a single round from the gun. He did not say anything when he fired the round at the victim.”
The son ran from the house after the shooting but returned shortly afterward and was taken into custody.
A shotgun was recovered from his vehicle.
The son told detectives his mom’s boyfriend had been physically and psychologically abusing his mother for five years, and sometimes gave her methamphetamine, records say.
When his sister told him the boyfriend had hurt his mom, he grabbed his shotgun and went home.
As he walked toward the backyard, his mom’s boyfriend “flinched” toward him like he might grab the weapon so the son fired a round, records say.
This story was originally published May 13, 2021 at 11:08 AM.
