Tacoma murder suspect held on $1.5 million bail unloaded gun into victim, charges say
A man accused of firing at least 13 gunshots in a shooting outside a Tacoma apartment complex that left one person dead earlier this week is being held on $1.5 million bail.
Robert Joeseph Phillips, 29, was charged Friday in Pierce County Superior Court with first-degree murder and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm for the Monday evening shooting in the 8600 block of South C Street. The man he’s accused of killing has not been publicly identified.
Pleas of not guilty were entered on his behalf at arraignment Friday afternoon. Pro Tem Commissioner Meagan Foley set bail.
According to court records, Phillips appears to have one prior felony conviction out of Snohomish County in 2015 for third-degree assault, and he has some criminal history from Texas.
Charging papers allege that surveillance video shows Phillips drove into the area of the apartment complex Monday evening in a 1990s Honda Civic with a red bumper and rims. While the victim walked toward a parked vehicle, Phillips allegedly got out with a gun already in hand and pointed it at the other man. When the victim began to retreat, Phillips allegedly started running at him while shooting.
The victim collapsed, but according to the declaration for determination of probable cause, Phillips kept firing until his handgun was empty. Records state he drove off with another person in his passenger seat. Police found 13 shell casings nearby.
The court documents don’t provide a clear motive in the shooting, but one witness told Tacoma Police Department officers he saw the gunman and the victim argue with each other in the same area at about 8:30 a.m. He reportedly heard the suspect say something to the effect of “I’ll be back,” and “It’s getting hot out there.”
Surveillance video from before the shooting reportedly showed the victim opening the doors and trunk of a parked vehicle that had previously been reported stolen.
When officers were called to the shooting scene at about 5:51 p.m., a large crowd had reportedly formed outside the entrance of the apartment complex. Police found the victim on a sidewalk just north of there with multiple gunshot wounds, and Tacoma Fire Department personnel declared him dead at the scene.
Officers identified Phillips as a suspect using surveillance video, witness statements and an anonymous tip that reportedly led detectives to photos of him posted on Facebook, according to the probable cause document. Further investigation revealed he lived at an apartment complex less than a half mile from the shooting scene, and surveillance video allegedly showed the suspect vehicle turning into there minutes after the homicide.
Detectives later took photos of the car, and spray-painted on the bumper was the nickname “Renegade,” the gunman’s alleged nickname, at least two people told police.
A special investigation unit located Phillips sitting in a silver, 2006 Honda Accord on Wednesday afternoon near 8638 Pacific Ave., according to the probable cause document. Two others were with him, and when the car drove away, officers stopped it and reportedly found two females in the front seat and Phillips hiding under a blanket in the back.
This story was originally published August 25, 2023 at 4:09 PM.
