TACOMA, Wash. — A suspect was charged with second degree murder in connection with the death of a JBLM soldier, according to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department (PCSD).
The 37-year-old male, identified as Joshua Dajuan Wright, was taken into custody around 1:41 p.m. on Monday when the PCSD SWAT team served an arrest warrant at an apartment in Tacoma. The suspect surrendered without any resistance, according to PCSD.
Wright allegedly shot and killed U.S. Army Sgt. Emmett Leviticus Moore at a gathering on the 1600 block of 112th street in Parkland at around 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 18.
Hailing from East Point, Georgia, Moore was a member of 1-14 Cavalry Squadron, 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, at JBLM.
PCSD deputies were called to the house after receiving a report of a shooting. Arriving deputies found a 22-year-old man, later identified as Moore, inside a home with a gunshot wound, according to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department. Deputies gave Moore first aid, but he died from his injuries.
The victim's girlfriend said they were at the house to hang out with their friends when the suspect approached the victim and the two "had some words," according to court documents.
The victim then told the suspect not to speak to him, as they didn't know each other, when the suspect allegedly pulled out a gun and shot the victim multiple times, according to court documents.
Witnesses said that even though the trigger was only pulled one time, the suspect allegedly fired three to four rounds very quickly, documents said.
The suspect was spotted driving away from the scene in a gold Honda accord, which deputies were able to track back to a woman who lent the car to the suspect, documents said. The woman told authorities the suspect had a semi-automatic pistol that could be switched into "automatic mode."
The suspect was also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. Wright had a prior conviction in Washington state which makes it illegal for him to own a gun, according to charging documents.
