PUYALLUP, Wash. — A third suspect was charged Monday morning for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of a woman in Puyallup in late February during an attempted robbery.
Ethan Nordgren, 18, faces second-degree murder, attempted robbery and assault charges in connection to the death of Gianna Stone, 22, of Kingston. His bail was set at $1.5 million, according to court documents.
The Puyallup Police Department (PPD) said it arrested Nordgren, Noah Maurice Loyd Branch, 18, and Daemeion Carmello Purdy, 17, on June 4 after a months-long investigation into Stone's death.
Branch and Purdy were charged June 5 with two counts second-degree murder, first-degree assault, first-degree attempted robbery, drive-by shooting and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Officers were called to 10th Avenue Northwest for reports of gunshots around 9 p.m. on Feb. 25. Puyallup police said they found shell cartridges in the street but no victims from a shooting.
About 10 minutes later, Stone was checked into a Tacoma hospital with a gunshot wound to the head. Police said she died at the hospital.
Police said the suspects were identified after a patrol officer recognized a vehicle at the scene of a "serious injury collision" that happened after the homicide. The driver in the incident had fled from a traffic stop and crashed near the Washington State Fairgrounds.
Initial investigative information released by police indicated the shooting stemmed from a confrontation between the suspects and the victim. Puyallup detectives determined the shooting was random and the confrontation began as an attempted robbery.
Police said Stone was in a car with five other friends at Sam Peach Park when the suspects approached with handguns and demanded their property. The driver fled, and the suspects shot at the car as it was leaving. Stone was struck in the head through the back windshield.
Police believe either Loyd Branch or Purdy was the shooter while Nordgren drove behind them with the headlights off, according to probable cause documents.
Cellphone data placed all three suspects near Sam Peach Park on the night of the incident, police said. After a crash just days after the homicide, investigators found a defective taillight part in Nordgren's trunk. This was consistent with the suspect vehicle having a malfunctioning taillight the night of the homicide
Purdy and Nordgren's bail was set at $1.5 million, while Loyd Branch's bail is $1 million.
