Two more teenagers arrested on murder charges in connection to fatal Feb. 22 shooting
Editor’s note: This story was updated Sept. 18, 2025 to remove the names of two 16-year-old boys because their cases were moved to Juvenile Court. The News Tribune generally only names juveniles charged with a crime if they are prosecuted as an adult.
Two 16 year olds were arrested by Tacoma Police on April 5 in connection to the killing of an 18-year-old man in Tacoma who was shot while surrounded by the suspects in an apartment building elevator.
Messiah Washington was killed in the Feb. 22 shooting. He was a student at the Willie Stewart Academy and lived with his father on the third floor of the apartment building in the 1100 block of South L Street.
The two 16-year-old boys were charged as adults April 3 with first-degree murder and first-degree conspiracy to commit murder in Pierce County Superior Court. One was additionally charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. Bench warrants were issued for their arrest.
In Washington, 16-year-olds who are charged with a serious violent offense such as murder are automatically moved to adult court. According to charging documents, the two teens were recently on electronic home monitoring in King County for unrelated felonies.
According to a news release from the Tacoma Police Department, the two were arrested on April 5 and taken into custody. They were booked into Remann Hall for first-degree murder and first-degree conspiracy to commit murder.
A third defendant, a 15-year-old boy who allegedly was the first to shoot the victim, was charged March 18 in Pierce County Juvenile Court with first-degree murder, first-degree conspiracy to commit murder and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, according to Adam Faber, a spokesperson for the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Faber said a bench warrant was issued for his arrest the same day, and he is not yet in custody.
Another 15-year-old boy was arrested March 5 for the fatal shooting. He pleaded not guilty at arraignment and was ordered to be held in detention at Remann Hall. Prosecutors are seeking to charge him as an adult.
The case is still ongoing.
This story was originally published April 6, 2025 at 9:26 AM.
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