Man charged in fatal Tacoma shooting. They ‘got the right guy,’ he allegedly told police
A person has been arrested in a fatal shooting on South 15th Street in Tacoma on Saturday. The suspect, who called police to report he had shot someone, has been charged with second-degree murder.
A not guilty plea was entered on behalf of Timothy Terrell Williams, 32, during arraignment in Pierce County Superior Court on Wednesday. He is being held in jail in lieu of $250,000 bail, records show.
The name of the victim has yet to be made public.
Charging papers state Tacoma police were dispatched to the Midtown apartments at 10:48 p.m. for reports of shots fired.
Two parties called the police. The first was a witness who said someone had shot the father of her child. The second caller was Williams, who told police he had just shot someone, court records show.
The affidavit for determination for probable cause says the victim suffered several gunshot wounds, including one to the head. Officers arrived and provided CPR to the victim, who was unresponsive, until Tacoma Fire Department personnel arrived. Fire personnel pronounced the victim dead at 11:05 p.m.
When police arrived, Williams was lying on his back with hands in the air and said he was the shooter, court records show. A firearm was found on the ground a few feet away from where he was lying. Officers detained Williams without incident, the records state.
Police found a second handgun in the middle of the apartment complex. Authorities don’t know if the weapon was involved in the incident, according to the affidavit. Investigators questioned the witness about the gun. She told them that the victim was recently released from jail and was “highly paranoid about getting into trouble again,” but said he did not own a gun.
Williams urged arresting officers to take him to jail and that they had “got the right guy,” court records show. Officers told the suspect that they had to remain on scene to continue investigating. Williams said “this was Hilltop” and that his actions would cause retaliation.
“I should have just gone home,” Williams reportedly said multiple times.
Police moved Williams away from the location in response to the suspect’s concerns. During that time, Williams told officers that he was drunk and that he wasn’t a threat to them because he was unarmed. The suspect requested to call his girlfriend to warn her of potential reprisal.
According to statements from the witness, she was in a car with the victim and a second acquaintance at one point during the night. She said the second person was arguing on the phone with someone. Detectives later learned that it was Williams and that he said over the phone that he had a gun.
The witness and two men arrived at the apartment complex, where Williams was located. Williams told them he wanted a “one-on-one fade,” or fight, with one of the men in the car, court records show. He also warned the trio that if they tried to jump him, he would start shooting. The victim made it clear he wanted to stay out of any physical altercation, records state.
Williams then hit the second man in the face, causing a fight. The man started to get the upper hand, the witness said, at which point Williams pulled out a gun and began shooting. Bullets struck the victim. The witness said the man Williams had been fighting with ran off. The witness said she screamed at Williams, and he replied he didn’t want to get jumped, the records show.
This story was originally published April 28, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
