A woman was shot dead in a Tacoma drive-by. Authorities say they’ve found her killer
A man suspected of shooting and killing a 42-year-old woman in her car Saturday outside a motel in Tacoma was charged Thursday with the victim’s murder.
Nazieere D’Michael Thomas, 20, was charged in Pierce County Superior Court with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
A plea of not guilty was entered on Thomas’ behalf at arraignment Thursday afternoon. Superior Court Commissioner Philip Thornton set bail at $2 million.
In arguing for that amount of bail, deputy prosecuting attorney Lena Berberich-Eerebout referred to Thomas’ criminal history, which includes 20 criminal cases referred to the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. She said he was convicted twice in 2019 for fourth-degree assault, and he was also found guilty of witness tampering and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. He is also a defendant in two ongoing criminal cases in Superior Court for charges of attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle.
Berberich-Eerebout noted that Thomas is accused of tracking down a robbery victim at his residence a few days after the crime occurred, calling it “troubling behavior.”
According to charging documents, the robbery occurred July 12 near the 8200 block of South Hosmer Street. It’s unclear if it is connected to the woman’s killing. Records say a robber stole a man’s wallet, which contained $500 to $600 along with his ID and Social Security card.
Tacoma Police Department officers arrested the defendant Monday after officers spotted a vehicle thought to be connected to the woman’s killing. Police tried to stop the vehicle near South 56th Street and Tacoma Mall Boulevard, but the driver fled. The car then collided with another vehicle and became disabled on an Interstate 5 on-ramp, where Thomas was arrested.
The woman he is accused of killing has yet to be publicly identified. According to charging documents, she was shot in the driver’s seat of a car parked outside a motel at 8820 S. Hosmer St. Officers responded about 8:50 p.m. that night, and Tacoma Fire Department personnel declared her dead. Several family members of the victim attended Thomas’ arraignment.
Police found a hole in the back window of the Honda Accord the victim was sitting in and two shell casings behind the car. Charging documents say two more casings were found nearby, and it’s unknown which, if any, are associated with the killing. The medical examiner who conducted an autopsy found she died of a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.
The gun used in the killing has not been recovered, prosecutors said Thursday.
Witnesses reported seeing a car drive by about five minutes before the shooting. According to the declaration for determination of probable cause, two people were with the victim. The car turned around, returned and a gun was fired at them as it drove by.
The probable cause document doesn’t lay out a motive, and no relationship between Thomas and the victim is described. When detectives interviewed Thomas about where he was Saturday, he said he went to a music studio in Tacoma’s North End at 8 or 9 p.m., and that he stayed there recording music for an hour or two. He denied being on Hosmer Street that day.
As Thomas was led away from the arraignment hearing, he said “you’ve got the wrong person.”
This story was originally published July 28, 2022 at 1:22 PM.
