2 suspects in downtown Seattle shooting charged with first-degree murder
SEATTLE -- Prosecutors charged two men with first-degree murder in a downtown Seattle shooting last month that killed one person and injured seven others.
Marquise Tolbert, 24, and William Toliver, 24, were booked into jail on Feb. 1 in Clark County, Nevada.
Tolbert and Toliver were identified by police as suspects after the Jan. 22 shooting at Third Avenue and Pine Street. Records show both have lengthy arrest records.
The men, who were taken into custody in Las Vegas, “complied when confronted by detectives,” Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Ken Nogle told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“Personally, I’m glad they are in custody … We know that after the mass shooting and the homicide, there was a lot of fear,” said Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best.
King County prosecutors filed charges Wednesday against Tolbert and Toliver.
“In the present case, the defendants instigated a shoot-out with a rival gang member on a crowded street corner in downtown Seattle at the beginning of the evening commute," prosecutors wrote in charging documents. "Both defendants fired a combined total of at least 20 rounds with no regard for the dozens of innocent people all around them.”
Tolbert and Toliver were both charged with murder in the first degree with a firearm, six counts of assault in the first degree with a firearm, and unlawful possession of a firearm. Their next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 19.
A third suspect injured in the shooting was located by police at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Jamel Jackson, 21, was charged last week with unlawful possession of a firearm in the shooting.
Jackson was not the aggressor, but he is suspected of firing his gun multiple times in the crowded intersection, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Mary Barbosa said.
Surveillance footage allegedly captured Jackson holding and firing a gun, prosecutors said.
Jackson admitted to firing a handgun and said he got rid of the weapon before he was contacted by first responders at the scene, police said.
The woman who was killed in the shooting was Tanya Jackson, 50, a resident of a group housing facility.
Jackson had a reputation as always being joyful among the staff members who managed her building, the Times reported.
“She had a very rich life,” said Kelli Larsen, chief program officer at the facility for people who suffer from physical- and/or mental-health conditions that make finding and maintaining traditional housing on their own challenging.
The shooting was one of several violent incidents in a part of the city long known for rampant drug use and street unrest.
Business groups implored officials to improve public safety. And while crime rates in Seattle are low compared to other big cities, critics say mayhem downtown – from shootings, to drug dealing and the effects of the city’s ongoing homelessness crisis – makes locals and tourists feel unsafe.