Social media posts help tie teenager to killing of 15-year-old boy in Tacoma, charges say
A 16-year-old teenager is accused of fatally shooting a Tacoma boy during a proposed gun trade last year.
Prosecutors charged Jeremiah Thompson Wade with first-degree murder, second-degree murder and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm for the Sept. 14, 2024 homicide, court records show. The News Tribune is naming Wade because he will be tried as an adult due to the severity of the charges.
Auburn police arrested Wade on Saturday and transferred him to Tacoma police officers. He was booked into Remann Hall.
A plea of not guilty was entered on Wade’s behalf during his arraignment Monday afternoon at Pierce County Superior Court. Judge Joseph Evans set his bail at $1 million, records show.
Ziair Gilbert, 17, was the first person arrested in the case. He was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm in Pierce County Superior Court last month. He is being held at Remann Hall on a $1 million bail.
Gilbert and Wade are accused of killing Moses Tillman of Tacoma.
Charging details
Officers were dispatched at 3:57 a.m. to the 1300 block of East 67th Street for a shooting. A 911 caller reported that Tillman’s cousin was “banging on the door,” saying the victim had been shot, according to charging documents.
Tillman was found unresponsive against a mailbox and fence, suffering two gunshot wounds, documents show. Life-saving measures were initiated, but Tillman was pronounced dead at the scene
A witness reportedly told police that she heard someone yelling, “Run,” twice before six to eight gunshots were fired, prosecutors wrote.
TIllman’s cousin, who was with the victim during the shooting, said they met up with the suspects for a proposed gun transaction.
He later told detectives that one of the suspects allegedly grabbed the gun from under Tillman’s arm and started a “tug of war” situation. Tillman was going to trade his gun and $300 for another one, but then he was shot during the interaction.
The cousin described the appearance of both of the people they met up with to detectives and found one of the alleged shooter’s Instagram profiles.
Detectives received a video on Sept. 15, 2024 that was circulating on social media where two girls were describing the shooting in a phone call. One of them allegedly said that “Jeremiah” was the one to shoot Tillman. Detectives spoke to a girl who said she was friends with “Jeremiah” and confirmed an Instagram photo that Tillman’s cousin found was of Wade.
Tillman’s cousin spoke to detectives again in October 2024 and said someone sent him a video that allegedly showed Wade holding the gun that belonged to the victim.
No additional suspects are being sought in Tillman’s death, according to the Tacoma Police Department.
