Man suspected of shooting wife, stepdaughter in Eastern Washington has Tacoma ties
A man released from prison about four months ago after serving decades for a Pierce County shooting and robbery is suspected of shooting his wife and young stepdaughter Tuesday in Eastern Washington.
Zion Joseph Carter, 38, turned himself in to the Pierce County Jail on Thursday. He’s being held in lieu of $1.5 million bail, according to jail records.
Both the woman and 11-year-old child had life-threatening injuries from the shooting early Tuesday in Airway Heights but were alert and talking after surgery, The Spokesman-Review reported.
The daughter told police there was an argument, she heard gunshots and tried to hide, and that Carter took her phone and shot her in the chest, according to The Spokesman-Review.
The girl ran for help, then saw her mother also had been shot, the newspaper reported.
Carter left before police arrived, and Crimestoppers of the Inland Northwest offered a reward for information.
He was incarcerated at the age of 15 and was released from prison March 13 after serving about two decades for convictions of first-degree assault, unlawful gun possession and two counts of first-degree robbery for a 1998 incident in Tacoma.
Court records about that incident give this account of what happened:
Carter knocked on an acquaintance’s door, took the chain from the person’s neck when he answered and put a gun to his head. The acquaintance fled, and, when a woman came out of another room with a gun, Carter fired and hit her in the thumb and shoulder. He told two others to take safes from the house. A wallet and clothes were also taken.
Carter was sentenced to 30 years, nine months in 1999, but an error in how his offender score was calculated brought him back to Pierce County Superior Court for resentencing Feb. 12 of this year.
Judge Timothy Ashcraft gave him 22 years, five months at that resentencing.
A memorandum from prosecutors argued that reimposing the sentence from 1999 would be appropriate.
Carter’s sentencing memorandum argued that the previous sentence was excessive “for an incident, that while serious, did not result in death and involved an impulsive 15-year-old child.”
The defense’s memorandum also described Carter’s traumatic upbringing.
“Mr. Carter’s parents were often absent as a child, and no evidence has been presented that a meaningful consideration of his youth, and brain development was made at the time of sentencing,” it said. “Furthermore, it is important to note that his sentencing occurred during a time when the idea of the ‘Super Predator’ was prevalent, which is a myth that specifically affected young black males, such as Mr. Carter.”
Loved ones also wrote the court about Carter, describing how he had changed and the support system that would be there for him upon his release. One of the letters came from the woman he allegedly shot, who then was his fiancée.
She wrote the court that: “Once released, Zion will be relocating to Eastern Washington to start a new chapter in his life ... .”
He’d pursued an education in prison, she told the court, had been offered a job upon release and had the support of her extended family.
“On numerous occasions, sergeants and correctional officers have came up to me and asked me if I was responsible for this man’s behavior because they witnessed the changes and wanted me and him to know that while rare for his reputation, it is possible for people to change despite the circumstances they are in,” her letter said. “I believe Zion is ready for society because he has grown and prepared himself for the past 22 years and has a strong and solid support system now for the first time in his life.”
