KENT, Wash. — A man was charged Wednesday in connection to a shooting in Kent that killed one person and injured two others.
Joseph Bert Dixon, 39, of Renton, was arrested earlier this week after ramming into police cars at a Safeway in Snohomish County, according to probable cause documents. Officers fired at Dixon’s car and struck him in the back.
Dixon is accused of fatally shooting Devon Hill at close range near the Circle K gas station on Sept. 19 around 1 a.m. A 36-year-old man and a 23-year-old man were also injured in the shooting.
The night of the shooting, prosecutors say Dixon shot the three victims in the parking lot before getting into the victims’ car and driving away. Hill was in the backseat of the car when Dixon allegedly fled, and police found Hill’s body a few blocks away from where the abandoned vehicle was found.
Later that night, Hill went to a motel in Bellingham and told witnesses he needed to shower, because he had “blood and brains on his jeans,” according to probable cause documents. Witnesses told police he then laughed and talked about how he had shot three people and stolen their car along with drugs and money.
One of the shooting victims told police that Dixon was his friend and he “(didn’t) know why he did that,” according to probable cause documents.
On Sept. 27, police say Dixon attempted to flee when they tried to arrest him at the Clearview Safeway. A 4-year-old and another passenger were in the car with Dixon when he hit other cars trying to get away, according to charging documents.
Dixon was charged with first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office asked bail be denied in the case arguing Dixon “poses a substantial likelihood of danger.” Dixon has a lengthy criminal history, including convictions for burglary, felony harassment and trafficking stolen property. Dixon was last released from a Department of Corrections commitment on March 5, according to charging documents.
Dixon is expected to be arraigned in court on Oct. 13.