Tacoma man was shot, killed by teens in an elevator. Was it part of a robbery?
One of four teenagers accused of being involved in the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old man in a Tacoma apartment building elevator has pleaded guilty in Juvenile Court to first-degree attempted robbery.
The 16-year-old boy, who did not fire the fatal shots, previously was charged with first- and second-degree murder in Pierce County Superior Court as an accomplice. The seriousness of that crime and the boy’s age meant he was automatically prosecuted as an adult.
A judge dismissed the murder charges Sept. 8. A spokesperson for the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said there was not enough evidence tying the teen to the homicide to proceed to trial. His case was moved to Juvenile Court as part of a plea agreement and because first-degree attempted robbery is not considered a serious violent offense that would automatically move his case to adult court.
The teen is expected to be sentenced Sept. 30. Prosecutors said the state and the defense had agreed to recommend a sentence of between just less than two years and two-and-a-half years in juvenile rehabilitation.
Court records filed in his case reveal new details about what led up to the homicide and indicate Messiah Washington might have been shot as part of a robbery.
Three others who were all age 15 when Washington was shot and killed Feb. 22 remain charged with murder and other offenses in Juvenile Court. Prosecutors are seeking to charge them as adults. Only two of the teens are accused of actually shooting Washington, and one of them has yet to be apprehended.
The News Tribune generally does not identify juveniles charged with crimes. The 16-year-old boy who agreed to plead guilty Sept. 8 and one other teenager charged in this case were previously identified by The News Tribune because at the time they were being prosecuted as adults.
Washington, who lived with his father on the third floor of an apartment building in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood, was shot while surrounded by the four teenagers in an elevator minutes after they knocked on his father’s door. According to court records, prosecutors don’t believe Washington knew them.
In court filings, prosecutors described law enforcement interviews with two people who knew Washington. One, an 18-year-old man, had been staying at Washington’s apartment a few nights a week and was known to traffic stolen guns and other property on social media. The other was a longtime friend of Washington who was invited to his apartment that night.
The friend reportedly told a detective he was followed by the four defendants — referred to as respondents in juvenile court — to Washington’s building from a bus stop. He then rode the elevator with them but entered Washington’s apartment on his own, where he told Washington and the person who had been staying there about being followed.
Washington reportedly knew one of the teens. According to prosecutors, two of the respondents, including the boy suspected to have shot Washington first, lived in the same building. The friend told Washington to be careful and asked him to get his father’s permission to carry his gun. The three left the building together a short time later and walked to a bus stop. Washington then returned to his apartment to check on his father.
Although Washington’s friend reported being followed to the apartment building, court records state that surveillance video showed the four respondents exiting a sixth-floor residence where one of them lived about 10 minutes before they entered the lobby with the friend.
When Washington’s friend got off at his floor, the four respondents returned to the sixth floor apartment, surveillance video showed. They stayed there for 13 minutes before going back to the elevator at 9:06 p.m.
Minutes later, surveillance video showed one of the four respondents knocking on Washington’s door on the third floor. All four were wearing coats with the hoods pulled over their heads, and a couple had masks obscuring all but their eyes and noses.
Washington then arrived at the third floor and got off the elevator while looking at his phone. The respondents got on the elevator, and Washington turned around to follow them. According to prosecutors, Washington didn’t interact with them or pull out his firearm, but he was shot when he reached into his pocket.
Prosecutors argued in court filings that it was reasonable to infer that the respondents killed Washington because they were caught attempting to rob his apartment. Prosecutors said the group likely knew Washington carried a gun because he was associated with the 18-year-old man who had been staying at his apartment and who was known to traffic firearms.
In an interview with detectives, the 18-year-old man reported that he recognized a couple of the respondents and believed one of them knew him and likely followed him on social media. Prosecutors said it was reasonable to infer that the respondents were trying to rob the man or Washington’s father, writing that his illegal dealings on social media made him an ideal robbery target, and the father’s physical disability made him an easy target.
In other news out of Superior Court
Teens sentenced for manslaughter in fatal shooting of Tacoma boy
Two teenagers have been sentenced after each pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the death of a Tacoma boy who was shot during a gun transaction.
Ziair Armani-Lee Gilbert, 17, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and a 16-year-old boy pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter with a firearm sentencing enhancement and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm for the Sept. 14, 2024 homicide of Moses Tillman. The 16-year-old pleaded guilty to an additional count of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and fourth-degree assault as part of a case out of King County.
Gilbert was sentenced Sept. 12 to two years, five months of juvenile rehabilitation in the custody of the Department of Children, Youth and Families. The 16-year-old was similarly sentenced Aug. 22 to a year and 120 days.
Gilbert and the 16-year-old originally were charged with first- and second-degree murder, which meant they would automatically be prosecuted as adults due to their ages and the seriousness of those charges. The News Tribune generally only names juveniles in connection to a crime if they are charged as an adult. The 16-year-old’s case was moved to Juvenile Court when his charges were amended. Due to the seriousness of Gilbert’s offense, his case remained in adult court.
It’s not known who fired the fatal shots. A spokesperson for the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office previously told The News Tribune there were numerous shell casings found at the scene, and they can’t say with certainty who fired which shots.
Tacoma Police Department detectives learned through Instagram messages sent between Tillman and one of the defendants that Tillman and his cousin were meeting up with the two to buy a gun, according to court records.
In an interview with detectives, the cousin told police Tillman was going to trade a gun and $300 for another firearm. The cousin reportedly said one of the suspects grabbed the gun from under Tillman’s arm and took it, which led to a “tug-of-war” situation before Tillman was shot.
