KING COUNTY, Wash. — The man accused of starting a shootout that left one dead and seven injured in Seattle on Jan. 22, 2020 was released from jail Wednesday and is now on electronic home detention.
William Tolliver was charged with first-degree murder, six counts of first-degree assault, and unlawful gun possession back in 2020. Last Thursday, Tolliver’s team filed a motion for him to be released.
Tolliver was released Wednesday morning with a written promise to appear in court.
The shooting along Third Avenue and Pine Street took place after a Facebook post was made in which a friend of Tolliver’s was named and insulted.
Three gunmen opened fire, shooting at least 24 rounds off in six seconds.
Bystanders on the busy street were hit, including a nine-year-old boy who was shot in the femur and 50-year-old Tanya Jackson, who was killed.
One of the other alleged gunmen, Marquise Tolbert, was found not guilty of murder and first-degree assault back in September.
The third suspected gunmen, Jamel Linonell Jackson, was sentenced to 16 months on August 19, 2021.
All three men had criminal records. Tolliver and Tolbert had a combined 65 arrests.
Tolliver’s grandmother spoke out in February 2020 saying that her grandson has a “loving heart” and that he does not hurt people.
“That is not what he does. That's not how he was brought up,” said Lizzie Coleman, Tolliver’s grandmother. “I know he just got caught up with the wrong person at the wrong time.”