Teen accused of shooting man killed in Tacoma elevator now charged as an adult
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- Judge declined juvenile jurisdiction; 16-year-old now faces adult murder charges.
- Surveillance video shows Messiah Washington surrounded in elevator before fatal shooting.
- Multiple teens charged; two other suspects could have cases moved to adult court.
One of two teenagers accused of fatally shooting an 18-year-old man in the elevator of a Tacoma apartment building will be prosecuted as an adult after prosecutors convinced a judge to decline juvenile jurisdiction.
Kaleb Prince Tramble, 16, pleaded not guilty Monday in Pierce County Superior Court to charges of first- and second-degree murder as well as second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
Judge Jennifer Andrews ordered Tramble held in custody at Remann Hall, the county’s juvenile detention center, in lieu of $1 million bail.
A defense attorney for Tramble was not listed in court records Wednesday.
The man killed was Messiah Washington. He lived on the third floor of an apartment building with his father in the 1100 block of South L Street in the Hilltop neighborhood.
According to charging documents, he was shot minutes after a group of four teenagers — including two who either lived in the building or had family living there — knocked on Washington’s door on Feb. 22, 2025. Prosecutors have said in court documents it is reasonable to infer they were trying to rob Washington’s father or a friend of his who was known to traffic stolen guns and other property on social media.
Surveillance video from an apartment elevator allegedly showed Washington surrounded by the suspects when a 15-year-old boy pulled a gun and shot him multiple times. Washington fell to the floor, and that’s when Tramble allegedly shot him once more.
Tramble was also 15 at the time, but prosecutors said he was erroneously listed as 16, and his case was initially filed in adult court. That error led to charges being refiled in Juvenile Court. According to court records, a discretionary decline hearing started before Judge Philip Thornton on Jan. 6. Thornton granted prosecutors’ motion to decline juvenile jurisdiction Jan. 22.
During a discretionary decline hearing a judge hears evidence and arguments from attorneys before deciding by a preponderance of evidence whether transferring the individual’s case to adult court is in the best interest of the youth or the public.
The teenager accused of shooting Washington multiple times was arrested in the Seattle area in November with a group suspected of firing at a Seattle police officer and fleeing south on Interstate 5. He is charged in Juvenile Court with first- and second-degree murder along with second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. A spokesperson for the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said Wednesday that he remains in custody in King County, and prosecutors have filed a motion to decline his case into adult court.
The News Tribune generally does not name juveniles who have not been charged as adults for a crime.
Two more teens charged in the incident, who were 15 and 16 at the time, have pleaded guilty in Juvenile Court to first-degree attempted robbery. The older teen was sentenced Sept. 30 to between just less than two years and two-and-a-half years in juvenile rehabilitation. The younger teen was sentenced Jan. 14 to 15-36 weeks in juvenile rehabilitation.
This story was originally published February 4, 2026 at 12:48 PM.
