Tacoma shooting that killed 1, injured 1 may have stemmed from dispute over woman
Two men’s dispute over a woman might have led to a deadly shooting in Tacoma, according to murder charges filed against the alleged gunman.
Pierce County prosecutors wrote in charging papers Friday that William Pelkey’s girlfriend reported in April that she’d been raped by a man. According to court documents, Pelkey and the other man, who denied the rape allegation in an interview with police, argued several times about what happened. On Aug. 27, the man followed Pelkey through Central Tacoma in an SUV, records state, and the confrontation ended in gunfire.
A 57-year-old man identified in court documents as P.J., was fatally shot, and his 50-year-old brother was wounded by a bullet while he ran from the scene.
Pelkey, 43, was arrested four days after the shooting. He was charged in Pierce County Superior Court with first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
A plea of not guilty was entered on the defendant’s behalf at arraignment Friday afternoon. Commissioner Barbara McInvaille set bail at $1.5 million. Pelkey has one prior felony conviction, court records show, and some criminal history in Guam.
The shooting occurred in a bank parking lot in the 3500 block of South 19th Street, according to the declaration for determination of probable cause. Officers responded for a report of a shooting at about 2:08 a.m., and found P.J. sitting in the driver’s seat of a running Chevrolet Tahoe with a gunshot wound to his head.
Police called for medical aid and took life-saving measures before the victim was transported to a local hospital. Later that morning, officers learned the victim’s brother had been found on South 18th Street with a life-threatening gunshot wound to his back. According to the probable cause document, P.J. was pronounced dead three days later. His brother was expected to survive.
Detectives identified Pelkey as the gunman using witness statements, surveillance video that captured portions of the shooting and evidence recovered from the scene, according to the probable cause document. After he was arrested, Pelkey allegedly admitted to being the gunman, and he reportedly said he shot P.J.’s brother while he ran away because he didn’t want him to talk.
At the shooting scene, police found two bullet holes in the Tahoe and five or six .22-caliber shell casings around it. The rear window was shot out, and a witness told police the gunman had been riding a bicycle.
Police also spoke with another witness who reportedly was with the victims at Franklin Park before the shooting. According to the probable cause document, he told officers they were waiting on a text message from a woman later identified as Pelkey’s girlfriend. The witness said P.J. had been having an affair with the girlfriend, which had created an issue between him and Pelkey.
Detectives researched Pelkey and found an April 24 police report where Pelkey’s girlfriend reported being raped by P.J. In a recorded police interview, P.J. denied the allegation and said he’d been having a consensual affair with the girlfriend for months, telling detectives he slept with her after Pelkey was hospitalized for an overdose. P.J. and Pelkey reportedly had several heated arguments via text message.
Days before the rape report, Pelkey called police to report that P.J. had been making threatening phone calls, according to the probable cause document. Pelkey reportedly said he was afraid P.J. would confront him, and it would be himself who would go back to jail.
Detectives later contacted P.J.’s brother in the hospital, and he confirmed that he received a text message from Pelkey’s girlfriend, records state. He said he was going to meet the woman in the 2100 block of South Trafton Street.
The brother said he and P.J. left the park, and at some point, P.J. noticed someone on a bicycle. P.J. reportedly called the person an expletive and followed him. They turned onto South 19th Street and pulled into a bank parking lot, where the two continued to argue. The brother said he ran from the Tahoe when he saw the bicyclist pull a gun. He heard several gunshots and then was shot in the back as he ran.
Detectives later reviewed videos from the bank and a nearby business. According to the probable cause document, it appeared to show P.J.’s SUV following Pelkey through an alley adjacent to the bank. Pelkey was on a bicycle, and at 2:02 a.m., he and P.J. stop on South 19th Street and have a brief conversation.
Detectives believe P.J. said something to the effect of, “What’s up, do you want to handle it now?”
Seconds later, video allegedly showed P.J.’s SUV pull into the bank parking lot. Pelkey walked toward the vehicle. There’s another brief exchange between the men, then gunshots. The gunman then picked up a bicycle and rode away.
Detectives later served a search warrant at Pelkey’s residence and seized several cell phones, a balaclava described by a witness and .22-caliber ammunition. A gun was not recovered.
This story was originally published September 4, 2023 at 3:05 PM.
