Man charged in shooting death of 8-year-old as she watched TV in Federal Way
A man suspected of fatally shooting an 8-year-old girl as she watched television in her family’s Federal Way apartment is being held on $1 million bail.
King County prosecutors on Thursday charged Andre Jimerson, 35, with first-degree manslaughter and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm for the April 26 death of Royal’Lee Wallace.
He is to be arraigned May 27.
The girl’s father initially was arrested in connection with the shooting after he allegedly told police he was the only other person inside the home when Royal’Lee was shot. He was later released and admitted two other people were present.
Charging papers and police give this account of the homicide:
Royal’Lee’s father brought her to St. Francis Hospital about 11:30 a.m. April 25. When doctors saw the child had been shot in the head, they notified police.
The girl died the following day at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Her father initially told detectives he was alone with his daughter in their apartment in the 27900 block of Pacific Highway, but officers overhead him muttering, “What did I do?” and that he was going to “kill him,” according to charging papers.
He was distraught, moaning and rolling on the ground, records say.
Detectives reviewed hospital security footage and were able to track down the vehicle Royal’Lee was brought to the hospital in, and the driver.
That led to the discovery that Jimerson, the father’s cousin, and Jimerson’s girlfriend were also in the apartment when the girl was shot. The adults were drinking beer and listening to music in the master bedroom while Royal’Lee watched TV from the couch in the living room.
Jimerson’s girlfriend “stated that Jimerson was seated in the chair drinking a beer, rapping along with the music that was playing and waving the gun around when it went off,” according to charging papers.
The bullet traveled through three walls and struck Royal’Lee in the head.
After Jimerson’s girlfriend took the girl and her father to St. Francis Hospital, she allegedly picked up Jimerson and dropped him off in Auburn.
Investigators were unable to find Jimerson for two weeks and say he turned off his cell phone so his location couldn’t be tracked. He turned himself in to Kent police May 11.
Jimerson was “recklessly handling a firearm” less than a month after a domestic violence protection order was issued against him prohibiting him from possessing firearms, prosecutors said.
More than $16,000 has been raised to help Royal’Lee’s family bury her.
“We are not prepared financially nor mentally to bury my Rolly,” her grandmother wrote on the fundraising page.
This story was originally published May 14, 2021 at 3:01 PM.
