Bad breakup ends with shooting in Spanaway

A bad breakup ended with a shooting in Spanaway after the woman’s son went after her boyfriend.

Deputies said the son, 26-year-old Russell Terry II, drove to the boyfriend’s home and shot him in the foot. Terry was angry because the boyfriend had slapped his mother while they argued about breaking up, investigators said.

Terry has pleaded not guilty to first-degree assault and drive-by shooting. Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Meagan Foley released him on his own recognizance Thursday.

According to charging papers, the confrontation took place July 6 after Terry’s mother and her boyfriend returned from a trip to California.

The boyfriend broke up with Terry’s mother and admitted to police he slapped her several times to make sure she understood he didn’t love her anymore.

Later that night, the boyfriend spotted his girlfriend’s car pull into his apartment complex on 174th Street South. He went outside, assuming she or her son was bringing back his cellphone, which he’d misplaced.

Instead, a man in the passenger seat opened fire, wounding the boyfriend in the toe. Sixteen shell casings were found and two bullets hit a fence, records show.

The boyfriend reported the shooting, telling police he was afraid to return home.

The next day, Terry’s mother called police to report her car had been stolen and that her boyfriend had assaulted her. Officers noted she had a swollen eye and bruises on her arm.

Prosecutors have issued a warrant for the boyfriend, who is under state Department of Correction supervision, after he checked out of the hospital early. Authorities believe he has left the state.

This story was originally published July 31, 2015 at 11:19 AM with the headline "Bad breakup ends with shooting in Spanaway."