Men sentenced for Gig Harbor shooting thought to be retaliation for 2021 murder
Two men have each been sentenced to four years in prison for firing upon a vehicle in Gig Harbor occupied by two siblings of a man convicted of murdering 19-year-old Tyrone Sero.
Rocco Anthony Fanara, 20, and Demondrae Lashaun Jones, 21, both pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree assault for the June 2023 shooting. Jones pleaded guilty and was sentenced in October, and Fanara pleaded guilty and was sentenced Jan. 8.
No one was hurt in the shooting. It might have been retaliation for the victims’ brother, Kannon Stephens, shooting and killing Sero in 2021 during a marijuana transaction and then dismembering, burning and attempting to dispose of his body with the help of Eli Gregory and Karlen Talent.
Pierce County prosecutors listed that murder as a “possible motive” in charging papers for Fanara and Jones. Gig Harbor detectives researched that possibility after a relative of the victims told the police they believed the drive-by was linked to a gang-related conflict between the victims’ family and a group from Port Orchard, where Sero was from.
Detectives also allegedly established a connection between Sero and Fanara through social-media posts and witness interviews. The shooting occurred three months before Stephens was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for Sero’s murder. His accomplices were later given prison terms of a little more than seven years each.
In victim-impact statements submitted to the court ahead of a bail hearing for Fanara, the victims’ mother, father and uncle said it was the third time their family had been attacked by the defendants. They said prior shootings occurred outside their home in 2021, and no one was struck.
“They and numerous of their fellow gang members have stated they plan to seek retribution for the death of Tyrone Sero, who died at the hands of my nephew Kannon Stephens,” the victims’ uncle wrote in the statement.
According to charging documents, the June 6, 2023, shooting occurred after an evening trip to a Chipotle on Point Fosdick Drive. The siblings reported seeing a group of men wearing face masks and bandanas at the restaurant, then noticed they were being followed as they drove away. Surveillance footage reportedly showed Fanara and Jones were part of the group inside the restaurant.
Other surveillance footage confirmed that the siblings were followed by a white Kia, believed to have been occupied by Jones and three others, and a black Lexus believed to have been driven by Fanara and one other man.
A camera at an auto shop in the 3600 block of Hunt Street captured at least part of the shooting. The video reportedly shows the siblings make a U-turn in a parking lot to drive west. At about the same time, a black Lexus is seen traveling toward them before a flash of gunfire occurs.
One of the siblings told the police they fled onto 38th Avenue, then turned onto a residential street and parked sideways outside a house. They went inside, where the brother grabbed a handgun. He returned to his vehicle, and he told police he saw the two suspect vehicles fleeing. Someone in the trailing car reportedly fired two shots as they passed the siblings’ location. The brother said he fired two rounds while outside.
Prosecutors charged Fanara and Jones with the shooting in December 2024. Both were accused of two counts of first-degree assault and drive-by shooting. Gig Harbor police located the two in a vehicle and arrested them the same month.
The defendants’ charges were amended due to litigation risks surrounding their intent. Deputy prosecuting attorney Thomas Howe wrote in court filings that there was risk associated with whether Fanara or Jones intended to inflict great bodily harm.
In other news from Superior Court
Tacoma man accused of impersonating corrections officer sentenced for burglaries
A man who pilfered firearms, pricey antiques and instruments in a string of burglaries in Pierce County — including one incident where he was accused of impersonating a corrections officer — has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
Christopher Ryan Medley, 41, pleaded guilty in two separate cases last month. One included charges of first-degree burglary and unlawful imprisonment. The other entailed residential burglary and three counts of second-degree burglary.
Judge Stanley Rumbaugh sentenced Medley for the two cases Jan. 7, giving him a punishment near the middle of the standard sentencing range for first-degree burglary.
Six of Medley’s relatives wrote letters to the court in support of him. His older brother said Medley was a devoted father to three children and that the stress of losing his job combined with addiction led to a downward spiral fueled by desperation.
“He is someone who fully understands the impact of his actions, the harm he caused, and the heartache he brought upon his family and his children,” the brother wrote. “His actions were completely inexcusable, and he does not deny that. He accepts responsibility and carries deep remorse.”
Medley’s five burglaries in the Tacoma area spanned from at least January to June 2024, but court records show he was suspected of burglarizing at least three more residences into July. That month, Medley was arrested after he was found slumped over in his black Chevy Tahoe, which was blocking traffic near downtown Puyallup.
A loaded handgun was on Medley’s lap, and his then 2-year-old son was buckled into the front passenger seat. According to court documents, police found three stolen firearms in the Tahoe along with more than 100 pieces of jewelry and boxes of ammunition.
Among the crimes was a June 11, 2024 burglary where Medley and another man allegedly held three people at gunpoint while impersonating officers from the Department of Corrections. A resident told police the men forced their way inside when he answered a knock at his door.
The men claimed they had a warrant for another resident’s arrest, according to charging documents, and Medley allegedly produced a pistol and threatened to shoot one of them. A witness told police Medley tried to get one of them to leave with him and intimidated him by shocking him with a Taser. The witness reported that he threw a bottle at Medley, and the other suspect fired a gunshot into the floor.
Another resident said the men’s guns only made “popping” noises when the triggers were pulled. Court documents say the second suspect went into a bedroom for a few seconds, and then the two left in a black Tahoe without taking anything.
Medley was initially charged with first-degree attempted kidnapping, first-degree criminal impersonation, third-degree assault along with burglary and unlawful imprisonment. But his charges were amended as part of plea negotiations and after prosecutors considered the facts indicated in police reports.
Months before that incident, court documents say Medley broke into a storage unit in the 2800 block of Pacific Avenue on Jan. 8, 2024 and stole antiques reportedly worth a total of $187,000. Those included vintage marine chronometers, marine deck watches and sextants, antique cash registers, pocket watches, clocks and other items.
Later that month, on Jan. 22, Medley entered a private event space called Tin Can Alley in the Dome District, where he reportedly stole $10,280-worth of items and caused thousands in damage. The owner had been collecting the items for over 30 years.
And on Jan. 30, Medley broke into a storage unit in downtown Tacoma. One of the people renting the space noticed movement on her Ring security camera and went to the unit, where she saw a stack of guitars piled in Medley’s Tahoe. Charging papers say she struggled with Medley in the vehicle before he pushed her out and drove off.
