Third Tacoma teen charged in fatal shooting that occurred during suspected vehicle prowl
A third person has been charged in a fatal shooting that occurred after a suspected vehicle prowl was interrupted in Tacoma.
Prosecutors charged Dominick Blair Byrd, 18, with two counts of second-degree murder on Friday, according to court documents. Byrd is accused of fatally shooting James Marsh, 53, outside the victim's home.
A plea of not guilty was entered on Byrd's behalf during his arraignment. Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille set his bail at $1 million, records show.
Elijah Alexander Andrews, 18, was charged in Pierce County Superior Court Jan. 15 with two counts of second-degree murder, The News Tribune reported. A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf. The judge in the case ordered that the name of the third defendant, 17-year-old boy, not be publicly released while the investigation is ongoing.
Detectives identified Byrd as the third suspect in Marsh's death through a witness statement, phone logs and a jail phone call between the teen and Andrews.
Police were dispatched at 2:21 a.m. to the 4800 block of North 18th Street for reports of shots fired. Marsh was lying in the street in front of his home when officers arrived. He was injured from several gunshot wounds and was later declared dead at 2:37 a.m., according to a probable cause document.
Officers spoke to 911 callers who reported seeing an older silver vehicle drive away on North 18th Street. There was also a vehicle across the street parked in front of another home with its driver's side door open, documents show.
Marsh's girlfriend told detectives she was asleep before police arrived, prosecutors wrote. When she woke up to the police pounding on her door, she realized Marsh was no longer inside the home.
Through their investigation, detectives learned from surveillance footage that three people were in the middle of a vehicle prowl in the neighborhood. Two people were looking into Marsh's Land Rover Range Rover and a vehicle across the street, prosecutors wrote. Footage showed Marsh coming out towards the street where two people were, and lights flashed between the cars.
The people ran back to their vehicle and drove off. Footage allegedly showed there was also a third person involved.
Following the unnamed teen's arrest on Jan. 10, detectives reviewed a jail call between him and Andrews where they discuss someone named 'Dom' turning himself in, prosecutors wrote. The teen and Andrews alleged during the call that three of them were there during the shooting.
Through a police database, detectives learned Andrews was listed in a police report with Byrd, prosecutors wrote. A witness who was close to Andrews told detectives that 'Dom Byrd' was the third person involved in the homicide and was the person to 'fire the gun.'
Byrd's phone records also allegedly showed that his phone was in the area of where Marsh lived right before police were dispatched to the scene. His phone was also in the area where another vehicle prowl occurred prior to the shooting, prosecutors wrote.
Officers arrested Byrd on Wednesday after he left his apartment, prosecutors wrote.
Byrd has not been previously convicted with a crime, records show.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
‘Me or him.' Tacoma man charged with fatally shooting 66-year-old stepfather
A Tacoma man is accused of intentionally killing his 66-year-old stepfather in their home Thursday afternoon. Prosecutors charged Jason Matthew Frederick, 45, with first-degree murder for the shooting. A plea of not guilty was entered on Frederick's behalf during his arraignment Friday. Pierce County Superior Court Judge Pro Tempore Meagan Foley set his bail at $1 million. The victim has not yet been identified, pending confirmation from the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office. Officers were dispatched at 5:24 p.m. to a home in the 5800 block of Pacific Avenue after a woman reported her son, Frederick, just shot her husband. She said it was intentional and the victim was Frederick's stepfather, according to charging documents. Frederick walked down the stairs when officers arrived and complied with their demands, documents show. The victim was sitting in a recliner near a pool of blood. He appeared to have been shot in the back of the head and was dead, which was later confirmed by firefighters. A search of the home showed the shotgun used in the shooting was partially concealed in a case located in a basement bedroom, according to documents. Frederick's mother told officers that her son had been 'acting crazy lately' and her other son tried to stop the defendant from shooting the man, document show. After officers advised Frederick of his Miranda rights, he allegedly told police that his stepfather had been been starving him and that he 'prevented a bunch of bad things from happening.' When asked by an officer how he did that, Frederick allegedly said, 'I shot him ... I shot [the victim,]' according to charging documents. Frederick allegedly said he intended to shoot the victim with the shotgun. He allegedly told police, 'He's been married to my mom for a long time ... things just started getting more intense, you know. It got to feeling like it was gonna be me or him first,' documents show. His mother told detectives in an interview at Tacoma Police Department Headquarters that Frederick had been living in the home after he was injured in a car crash, documents show. His mother alleged Frederick had been 'abnormally paranoid' and focused on his stepfather, documents show. She said there had been arguments between the two but did not know of any physical altercations. She said before the shooting, she was making dinner and her husband was in his recliner in the living room, documents show. She saw Frederick allegedly carrying a shotgun when he walked towards his stepdad. She heard a gunshot and shouted, 'You just shot my husband.' Frederick allegedly responded with, 'Yeah, I shot him.' He then went upstairs until police arrived, according to his mother. Frederick made several allegations against the victim, at one point claiming he was a 'computer scammer' and that he was mentally abusive, documents show. Frederick told detectives that before the shooting he was stuck in the basement most of the day, documents show. He allegedly reiterated that 'it got to a point where I felt it was either me or him, documents show.' He said that he allegedly got the shotgun from its case, put one shell in and '...went upstairs... execution style,' documents show. Frederick allegedly described to detectives shooting his stepfather in the head and his mother's reaction. When his mother asked him why, Frederick allegedly replied, 'Well, I think you know why.' Court records show Frederick has previous convictions, including driving with a suspended license from 2007 in Gig Harbor and driving under the influence in 2005.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
‘Me or him.' Tacoma man charged with fatally shooting 66-year-old stepfather
A Tacoma man is accused of intentionally killing his 66-year-old stepfather in their home Thursday afternoon. Prosecutors charged Jason Matthew Frederick, 45, with first-degree murder for the shooting. A plea of not guilty was entered on Frederick's behalf during his arraignment Friday. Pierce County Superior Court Judge Pro Tempore Meagan Foley set his bail at $1 million. The victim has not yet been identified, pending confirmation from the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office. Officers were dispatched at 5:24 p.m. to a home in the 5800 block of Pacific Avenue after a woman reported her son, Frederick, just shot her husband. She said it was intentional and the victim was Frederick's stepfather, according to charging documents. Frederick walked down the stairs when officers arrived and complied with their demands, documents show. The victim was sitting in a recliner near a pool of blood. He appeared to have been shot in the back of the head and was dead, which was later confirmed by firefighters. A search of the home showed the shotgun used in the shooting was partially concealed in a case located in a basement bedroom, according to documents. Frederick's mother told officers that her son had been 'acting crazy lately' and her other son tried to stop the defendant from shooting the man, document show. After officers advised Frederick of his Miranda rights, he allegedly told police that his stepfather had been been starving him and that he 'prevented a bunch of bad things from happening.' When asked by an officer how he did that, Frederick allegedly said, 'I shot him ... I shot [the victim,]' according to charging documents. Frederick allegedly said he intended to shoot the victim with the shotgun. He allegedly told police, 'He's been married to my mom for a long time ... things just started getting more intense, you know. It got to feeling like it was gonna be me or him first,' documents show. His mother told detectives in an interview at Tacoma Police Department Headquarters that Frederick had been living in the home after he was injured in a car crash, documents show. His mother alleged Frederick had been 'abnormally paranoid' and focused on his stepfather, documents show. She said there had been arguments between the two but did not know of any physical altercations. She said before the shooting, she was making dinner and her husband was in his recliner in the living room, documents show. She saw Frederick allegedly carrying a shotgun when he walked towards his stepdad. She heard a gunshot and shouted, 'You just shot my husband.' Frederick allegedly responded with, 'Yeah, I shot him.' He then went upstairs until police arrived, according to his mother. Frederick made several allegations against the victim, at one point claiming he was a 'computer scammer' and that he was mentally abusive, documents show. Frederick told detectives that before the shooting he was stuck in the basement most of the day, documents show. He allegedly reiterated that 'it got to a point where I felt it was either me or him, documents show.' He said that he allegedly got the shotgun from its case, put one shell in and '...went upstairs... execution style,' documents show. Frederick allegedly described to detectives shooting his stepfather in the head and his mother's reaction. When his mother asked him why, Frederick allegedly replied, 'Well, I think you know why.' Court records show Frederick has previous convictions, including driving with a suspended license from 2007 in Gig Harbor and driving under the influence in 2005.
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
State sues SoCal real estate tycoon, alleging widespread tenant exploitation
Alleging widespread and egregious violations of housing and tenant laws, Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta sued Southern California real estate tycoon Mike Nijjar in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Thursday. In the lawsuit, Bonta accused Nijjar, family members and their companies of subjecting tenants to vermin infestations and overflowing sewage, overcharging them and violating anti-discrimination laws. The suit says that Nijjar is one of California's largest landlords, operating multibillion dollars in holdings. Nijjar family companies, commonly known as PAMA Management, own 22,000 rental units, primarily in low-income neighborhoods in Southern California. The suit follows a more than two-year California Department of Justice investigation into Nijjar's holdings, Bonta said. 'PAMA and the companies owned by Mike Nijjar and his family are notorious for their rampant, slum-like conditions — some so bad that residents have suffered tragic results,' Bonta said in a statement. 'Our investigation into Nijjar's properties revealed PAMA exploited vulnerable families, refusing to invest the resources needed to eradicate pest infestations, fix outdated roofs and install functioning plumbing systems, all while deceiving tenants about their rights to sue their landlord and demand repairs.' Bonta is seeking penalties against Nijjar and his family business entities, restitution for tenants, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains and injunctive relief barring Nijjar and PAMA from continuing unlawful business practices. A representative for Nijjar said he forcefully rejects the claims in the lawsuit. 'The allegations in the complaint are false and misleading, and its claims are legally erroneous,' Nijjar attorney Stephen Larson said in a statement. 'We look forward to demonstrating in court that Mr. Nijjar and his companies are not only compliant with the law, but they provide an extraordinary service to housing those disadvantaged and underserved by California's public and private housing markets.' Nijjar's real estate empire has long been on authorities' radar. In 2020, LAist detailed wide-ranging dangerous conditions at Nijjar's properties dating back years, including a fire at a PAMA-owned mobile home in Kern County that resulted in the death of an infant. The mobile home was not permitted for human occupancy, according to the report and Bonta's lawsuit. Two years later, The Times wrote a series of stories about Chesapeake Apartments, a sprawling 425-unit apartment complex in South L.A., where Nijjar's tenants complained of sewage discharges, regular mold and vermin infestations and shoddy repairs. Chesapeake had the most public health violations of any residential property in L.A. County over the previous five years, according to a Times analysis at the time. Prior attempts at accountability for Nijjar and his companies have been spotty and ineffective. After the 2016 mobile home fire that killed the infant in Kern County, the California Department of Real Estate revoked the licenses associated with Nijjar's company at the time. In response, Nijjar and family members reorganized their business structure, the suit said. The L.A. city attorney's office resolved a nuisance abatement complaint against PAMA at Chesapeake in 2018, only for the widespread habitability problems to emerge. A similar case filed by the city attorney's office against a PAMA property in Hollywood remains in litigation more than three years after it was filed. In the meantime, Nijjar's companies have settled multiple habitability lawsuits filed by residents. Bonta said that PAMA has taken advantage of lax and piecemeal accountability efforts and its low-income tenants' vulnerability. Most residents, he said, have low or fixed incomes with few alternatives other than to endure the shoddy conditions in their rentals. The lawsuit alleges that the habitability problems at PAMA properties are 'ongoing business practices' — the result of decisions to make cheap repairs rather than necessary investments in maintenance, the use of unskilled handymen, lack of staff training and failure to track tenant requests. 'Nijjar and his associates have treated lawsuit after lawsuit and code violation after code violation as the cost of doing business and have been allowed to operate and collect hundreds of millions of dollars each year from families who sleep, shower, and feed their children in unhealthy and deplorable conditions,' Bonta said. 'Enough is enough.' Besides tenants' living conditions, the suit alleges Nijjar and PAMA have induced residents into deceptive leases, discriminated against tenants on public assistance programs and issued unlawful rent increases. The suit contends PAMA's leases attempt to invalidate rights guaranteed under law, including the opportunity to sue and make repairs the landlord neglected and deduct these costs from the rent. The company has told Section 8 voucher holders that there are no units available when others are being rented to applicants without vouchers, the complaint said. The case alleges that PAMA has violated California's rent cap law on more than 2,000 occasions. The law limits rent increases to 5% plus inflation annually at most apartments. PAMA, the suit says, shifted mandatory shared utility costs, which used to be paid by the landlord, onto tenants' bills in an attempt to evade the cap. The combination of the new utility costs and rent hikes resulted in total increases of up to 20%, more than double the allowable amount, according to the suit.
