Tacoma boxing legend wounded by gunfire last month. Police on lookout for the gunman
Tacoma police are looking to arrest a man charged with shooting a local boxing legend who is now coaching the sport.
The 27-year-old Seattle man is accused of shooting the coach Feb. 17 outside Oasis of Hope Center following an argument. The shooter and the coach were at the center for a boxing event that brought fighters from across the region for a tournament, charging documents show.
The man is charged with first-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. A bench warrant was issued for his arrest on March 13.
Case Details
Tacoma police officers were dispatched to a report of a shooting at the Oasis of Hope Center in the 1900 block of G Street. Several callers reported that a man, initially identified by his first name, was firing shots in the parking lot and that a man was injured, prosecutors wrote.
There was a crowd surrounding the coach, identified in the court records only as E.L., when police arrived. He was conscious and bleeding from his left leg. Witnesses told police that the gunman ran off, documents show.
A witness told police there was an argument after the gunman accused the coach of stepping on his shoe inside the center. They both went to the parking lot, where the argument continued. The coach went to his vehicle to get his handgun. The witness said the coach never raised or pointed the weapon at anyone, nor did he fire it. The argument continued and the other man, who also had a firearm, began firing, prosecutors wrote.
Police learned the alleged gunman is a coach from a boxing gym in Seattle. Shell casings were located close to where the coach was lying. When police asked the center for surveillance video, they were advised that there were no working cameras in the area, prosecutors wrote.
The injured coach was taken to the hospital and treated for two gunshot wounds. He spoke to detectives at the hospital and again after he was released. The coach told detectives he did not know the man who shot him and never interacted with him before. He believed the other man was trying to instigate a physical altercation with him due to his status and reputation as a former world boxing champion, prosecutors wrote.
The coach also confirmed that he stepped on the gunman’s shoe and that they argued. He said he walked to his car but saw the the other man standing nearby and knew he would have to drive by him in order to leave. He then saw the man with a black handgun, prosecutors wrote.
The coach said he was in fear of his life, so he took out his firearm, which was still in its holster. He said the gun remained in the holster when he exited the car, and as he did, he heard five loud pops and felt a bullet hit him.
The coach said that he believed his attacker intended to kill him because he heard multiple bystanders pleading with him “not to do anything else” and to “not do the champ like that.” The coach identified the gunman through a photo montage, prosecutors wrote.
A witness told police that the coach got a gun that was still in its holster from the car. He reiterated that the gunman was the instigator, and the coach was “not going to back down to be called out given his status in the Tacoma boxing community.” The witness said that the coach is held in high regard in the community and “would not give in to someone trying to challenge him because of his status,” prosecutors wrote.
The man being sought is a convicted felon. He was previously convicted for six counts of residential burglary, second-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. He was believed to be in New Mexico for a boxing tournament, prosecutors wrote.
