Drive-by on Christmas Eve in Tacoma ended with pursuit, crash. Now 2 have been sentenced
Two men have been sentenced for their roles in a drive-by shooting on Christmas Eve in Tacoma that left bullets in a home occupied by three people. A third man charged remains at large.
Tyler Eugene Morris, 20, pleaded guilty last month in Pierce County Superior Court to drive-by shooting, second-degree assault and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle for the 2022 incident. Judge Pro Tem James Orlando on Monday sentenced Morris to six years in prison.
Morris’ punishment was near the middle of the standard sentencing range, 31 to 41 months, and it included a 36-month firearm sentencing enhancement. He had no prior criminal convictions.
No one was injured in the shooting. Police responded at about 2 p.m. for reports of a person firing more than 20 gunshots out of the back of a vehicle near the 1300 block of South M and 13th streets. Officers found one bullet went through a house’s drain gutter. Three women were standing in the kitchen at the time. Officers also found a bullet hole in another house on the street, which was unoccupied.
Investigators later recovered 16 .40-caliber bullet casings in the area, according to charging documents.
Morris fled from Tacoma Police Department officers after the blue Nissan SUV he was driving was spotted about a half mile from the shooting. Records state an officer followed him onto state Route 16 and then into Central Tacoma.
During the pursuit, Morris reportedly weaved through heavy traffic as he drove back near the Hilltop area and later reached speeds of 100 mph before eventually crashing into a vehicle in the 11000 block of Pacific Avenue. A family of four in that vehicle was unharmed.
Police recovered a blood-stained bag filled with four loaded handguns that was reportedly abandoned by someone in the SUV during the pursuit. Three of the guns were .40-caliber Glocks, and two had been reported stolen.
Morris’ defense attorney did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
His co-defendant, Harden Milton Keys IV, 20, was identified as a passenger in the SUV. He pleaded guilty Oct. 3 to third-degree assault and unlawfully possessing a firearm. He was sentenced that day to six months in jail and has since been released, having received credit for serving 255 days in confinement.
The third defendant, Deon Kristopher Upton, 20, was charged Oct. 18, 2023, with three counts of first-degree assault and drive-by shooting, and he continues to have a bench warrant out for his arrest.
It’s unclear what investigators believe Upton’s role was. According to charging documents, a detective determined that he showed up at St. Joseph’s Medical Center at about 2 p.m. the day of the shooting with a juvenile who had a gunshot wound to his wrist.
Detectives later listened to Morris’ phone calls from the Pierce County Jail and learned that Morris said the juvenile was accidentally shot by a man with the street name “Do Dirt.” He also reportedly said Do Dirt was shot in the leg twice on Jan. 14, 2023. Detectives found that Upton was listed as a victim in a shooting that occurred that day at an apartment.
DNA samples were taken from the triggers of the four firearms found abandoned and one later located inside the vehicle. Analysis from a State Patrol crime lab found “very strong support” to match two handguns to Morris, which were connected to bullet casings found near the shooting scene and in the vehicle.
Only the juvenile had “strong support” to be matched to DNA found on another firearm. DNA for other defendants had “limited” or “moderate” support to be matched to the recovered guns.
