‘Chaotic melee’ in Tacoma area led to gunfire. Here’s the shooter’s sentence
A man who shot someone multiple times during a fight between two groups of young people outside a Ruston gas station has been sentenced to three months in jail. Prosecutors said the victim was not willing to be involved in court proceedings.
Deonte Jariece Mitchell, 28, pleaded guilty Jan. 21 to second-degree assault for the Sept. 17, 2023 shooting on North Pearl Street.
Pierce County Superior Court Judge Pro Tem Brian Tollefson sentenced him the same day, handing down a punishment at the low end of the standard sentencing range, three to nine months in jail. Court records say Mitchell had no prior criminal convictions.
Prosecutors originally charged Mitchell with first-degree assault and possession of a stolen firearm. In a court filing explaining why prosecutors wanted to amend the charges, deputy prosecuting attorney Thomas Howe wrote that the victim was uncooperative and recently provided a statement that Howe said was “essentially a recantation” to a defense investigator.
Howe said it was his opinion that the victim’s statement was not consistent with video evidence.
“This resolution places Mr. Mitchell in a position where further involvement with firearms is likely to result in significant penalties, and yet in a position where it will be possible to put this behind him,” Howe wrote.
In his guilty-plea statement filed with the court, Mitchell said he shot the victim during a “chaotic melee” that involved many people. He said he believed at the time that he was acting in defense of others. He said after reviewing video, the events did not happen exactly as he remembered. Mitchell said if there was another altercation he would work to deescalate it and walk away with his friends.
In more than a dozen letters submitted to the court ahead of sentencing, friends, relatives and employers described Mitchell as a loyal and compassionate man who is dedicated to his family. In his own letter to the court, Mitchell said he is committed to being a man his family can rely on.
“I am not perfect, but I am accountable,” Mitchell wrote. “I reflect on my mistakes, I learn from them, and I work every day to be better than I was yesterday.”
Surveillance video from the incident showed multiple people, including the victim and Mitchell, exit different vehicles at the gas station at about 1:45 a.m., according to the probable cause document. Two people began fighting near a pump, and a group of people also fought. It’s unclear what the fight was about.
The victim appeared to fall and hit the ground, according to the probable cause document. He then lunged toward the group and threw several of them against a window of the gas station’s store. He was walking backward away from the store when Mitchell fired at him several times. Investigators later found four expended shell casings in the area.
Another camera allegedly showed Mitchell get in a red Jeep and flee after the shooting.
Ruston police officers who were on patrol drove to the scene when they heard gunshots. The gunshot victim was transported to a hospital, where he was treated for bullet wounds in his abdomen, right ear, left thigh and groin. One bullet shattered his femur.
