Teens brought full-auto handgun to fistfight outside Sprinker Rec Center, charges say
Two 19-year-old men who brought a handgun with a full-auto switch to a fistfight near Spanaway that ended in gunfire, leaving two people in critical condition, now face felony charges.
Raffael Lamarr Slaughter Jr. and Marlo Raloine Clair were each charged Wednesday in Pierce County Superior Court with two counts of first-degree assault and unlawful possession of a machine gun.
Pleas of not guilty were entered on their behalf at arraignment. Commissioner Barbara McInvaille set Slaughter’s bail at $300,000. Clair’s bail was set at $250,000. Clair is accused of bringing the gun to the fight, and Slaughter is accused of using it to shoot the two victims, ages 25 and 22.
Slaughter and Clair were arrested Tuesday when deputies located both in a car. According to court records, a gun was in Clair’s pants that was described as a Glock-style handgun with parts from a previously stolen firearm, an extended magazine and a “switch” that made the gun fully automatic.
Clair declined to make a statement to law enforcement. Slaughter was interviewed by detectives, and he allegedly said he shot at the group because the young woman at the center of the dispute was being attacked. He reportedly stated multiple times that he wasn’t trying to kill anyone, and his intention was to scare the two victims so they would stop fighting with the woman.
Neither defendant has prior criminal convictions, according to a pretrial services report. Slaughter Jr. reported being transient and most recently working for Amazon as a laborer. Clair lives in Tacoma and reportedly worked for a tug and barge service.
Defense attorneys were not listed for Slaughter or Clair in court records. An attorney from the Department of Assigned Counsel represented them for arraignment.
Charging papers allege that Slaughter and the 25-year-old victim — identified as J.R. in the documents — worked at a fast-food restaurant together two years ago, and they were both interested in the same person. Slaughter and the girl started dating, and a witness told investigators that the couple regularly harasses the victim by going through the drive-thru at his new place of work.
The harassment reportedly went on for some time, and on Monday, Slaughter and J.R. agreed to fight. After texting about the plans at about 8:30 p.m., the two met in the parking lot of Sprinker Recreation Center along with at least five other people: the young woman at the center of the dispute, defendant Clair, who is her older brother, Clair’s girlfriend and the 25-year-old’s sister and her boyfriend.
Clair was allegedly seen arriving and getting out of his vehicle with a handgun. Slaughter and J.R. then fought. At least one of the people who’d come with them took a video, which reportedly showed a “simple fist fight” between the two, a Sheriff’s Department deputy wrote in a report. Clair is allegedly heard making statements about being in a gang and asked J.R. if he wanted to die.
At some point, Clair allegedly gave his handgun to Slaughter then stepped in to fight J.R., who was visibly tired, records state. J.R. ran from Clair to try to get back to his car, and the man’s sister reportedly tried to break up the fight, but she was pulled back by the hair and beaten, allegedly by the young woman, Clair and his girlfriend.
While she was being attacked, the sister saw Slaughter fire the handgun at J.R. and her boyfriend, according to the probable cause document. Slaughter, Clair and the others then fled.
Another witness who was walking out of the recreation center reported seeing three to four people fighting in the parking lot before a pickup sped in and stopped near the group. The witness said someone appeared from the vehicle with a small firearm, yelled “watch out” and then rapidly fired at the group fighting, shooting what he thought was 20-30 rounds.
Sheriff’s Department deputies were dispatched to the scene at about 9:30 p.m., and they found “numerous” 9 mm shell casings scattered near a pool of blood.
The two shooting victims showed up at a Parkland emergency room sometime later, and both were taken to Tacoma General Hospital, according to the Sheriff’s Department. Records state J.R. required emergency surgery because a bullet struck an artery. The other victim was reportedly shot in the legs and head.
This story was originally published February 29, 2024 at 1:44 PM.
