Tacoma shootout leaves one man dead, another charged with murder, charges say
A Tacoma man is accused of murder after a deadly shootout outside an apartment complex last week.
Nicholas Patrick Kane, 40, was initially charged with first-degree assault and drive-by shooting after he was arrested in the Oct. 10. Prosecutors moved add a first-degree murder charge after the victim died at the hospital.
A plea of not guilty was entered on Kane’s behalf during his arraignment for the assault charge Monday. Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille set bail at $750,000, court records show. Prosecutors requested a $1 million bail, according to the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Kane was re-arraigned Tuesday afternoon and is being held at the Pierce County Jail on the $750,000 bail.
Leonard Strickland, 49 of Tacoma, was identified as the man killed. He died from multiple gunshot wounds, and his manner of death was ruled a homicide, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office in a news release Tuesday.
Charging details
Officers were dispatched at 2:31 p.m. to the 3700 block of South Orchard Street for a shooting. Strickland sustained a gunshot wound to the head and was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center, according to charging documents.
Documents show that Kane called 911 to report that he was in an altercation with Strickland and claimed the victim assaulted him with brass knuckles. He also alleged Strickland shot at him. Kane was detained by police in the 1600 block of North Huson Street.
Detectives spoke to witnesses who said that they saw Strickland lying on the ground with a gunshot wound, documents show. Another witness in the apartment complex alleged she saw someone matching Kane’s description shoot in the area where a black car was. She said she did not see who Kane was shooting and that he then drove away.
In an interview with detectives, Kane said he stayed the night with his girlfriend at her South Orchard Street apartment. He left the apartment but returned at about 2 p.m.
Kane said he saw Strickland, who was his ex-roommate and his girlfriend’s ex-husband, in a vehicle outside the apartment complex, documents show. According to Kane, he and Strickland agreed to fight and moved their vehicles. He said that the victim struck him with brass knuckles and threatened to shoot him.
Documents show that Kane said he ran to his car to get a gun and alleged Strickland shot at him. A shootout between the men ensued, and Kane allegedly told detectives that he shot at Strickland several times. He said that he got into his own vehicle and reversed down a hill where they continued to fire at each other.
Kane allegedly told detectives he drove towards the apartment complex and reloaded his magazine, documents show. The gunfire continued, and he allegedly struck Strickland before driving north out of the complex.
Documents show that a detective found Strickland’s empty firearm and two live rounds on his chest. There were shell casings on the roadway that matched Kane’s gun. There were also several spent casings on the ground where the fight originally happened, which came from two different guns, documents show.
Documents show that detectives believe that a fistfight between the men escalated to the shooting. They believe that Kane initially left, then came back and shot at Strickland.
Kane does not have any previous criminal convictions, court records show.
