Man accused in Tacoma hookah-lounge shooting. Victim’s injuries ‘non-survivable’
A shooting outside a hookah lounge in Tacoma left one person in critical condition last month.
Prosecutors charged Jyron Elriem Caywood, 40, last week with first-degree assault and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm in the March 15 shooting, according to court records.
Caywood is in custody at the Pierce County Jail on $85,000 bail, records show.
Officers were dispatched to the 2000 block of South 96th Street for reports a person had been shot in the head in front of the lounge. Tacoma Fire Department personnel took the victim to a hospital where a neurosurgeon reported his injuries appeared to be non-survivable, according to charging documents.
The scene of the shooting was described as chaotic with “hysterical” people on site, documents show.
A witness told police it was the victim’s birthday and that he was a DJ at the lounge, according to court records. She and the victim were about to leave when an unknown man tried to flirt with her and another woman with her. The unknown man continued to try to have a conversation when the victim asked the two women to get in the car. An argument reportedly ensued between the two men.
The argument continued, and another man nearby mentioned something about grabbing a firearm. The alleged shooter returned and allowed the women to go back into the lounge. The witness told detectives she then heard one gunshot.
Caywood was identified as one of the alleged shooters through surveillance footage, witness statements and witnesses identifying him through social-media photos.
Documents show another witness reported the victim was talking to three women outside the hookah lounge, and that two of the women were sitting in his car. The victim argued with a man wearing a black jacket, and the man accused him of putting his hands on him. The victim denied that, and the argument continued.
The witness told police the man ran off towards a car, came back and fired a gunshot into the ground. A second person ran around the north side of the victim’s car and fired a round into the back of the victim’s head. Both gunmen ran off westbound, documents show.
Surveillance video of the shooting corroborated witness statements, according to court documents.
Detectives said the victim was shot twice in the stomach area and once in the head. The guns used in the shooting have not been recovered.
Caywood has previous convictions, including in 2010 in Pierce County for fourth degree assault and first-degree criminal trespass, according to court records.
