Monthly Archives: September 2020

13th Tacoma Homicide of 2020: Nelvin ‘Poodie Man’ Tucker

Posted on September 27, 2020 | Leave a comment

Nelvin Tucker was a religious and generous man. At 51 years old he was a father to two grown children and grandfather to one. When he encountered a 27-year-old man who needed a place to stay, he let the man stay at his apartment at 5102 S. 58th Street. By May 8th, the man had outworn his welcome. He was playing loud music while Nelvin had his daughter over. Nelvin scolded the man saying he was being disrespectful and told him not for the first time that he needed to move out and not come back. Later in the evening neighbors heard a couple of pops. They looked out the peephole of their door and saw Nelvin’s roommate leaving while tucking something into the pocket of his hoody. The neighbors knocked on the door and after a short time Nelvin managed to answer the door though he had been shot. He said his roommate’s name and asked the neighbors to call his daughter. The neighbors called 9-1-1. Nelvin was transported to Tacoma General Hospital where he died from his wounds becoming the thirteenth Tacoma homicide this year.

Nelvin’s daughter called the roommate after learning her father had been shot. The roommate claimed to have heard the shots as he left and did not say where he was or return further phone calls. Tacoma police found and arrested him after a short manhunt.

By all accounts Nelvin was a generous and happy guy. His friends called him Poodie Man. His smile was infectious and if there was a hoop anywhere nearby you could bet Nelvin would be playing basketball. He was the sort of person you looked forward to seeing. For those who knew him there is now a hole in their lives that can never be filled because Nelvin is gone.

As always, the comments section is moderated and reserved for family and friends of Nelvin who want to share any thoughts or memories of Nelvin Tucker. Also for those who were unable to attend Nelvin’s funeral it is available online at this link.

  • Jack

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12th Tacoma Homicide of 2020: Aaron Brown

Posted on September 26, 2020 | Leave a comment

In the 8700 block of Hosmer, on Sunday, April 5th near seven in the morning 39-year-old Aaron Brown was walking down the street when he was attacked by a 42-year-old man with a long criminal record and a history of mental problems who thought Aaron was a man who attacked his family. They had never met before. A passerby saw the 42-year-old man repeatedly hitting Aaron in the he with a large piece of asphalt. When the man saw the passerby he ran away. Aaron was taken to the hospital where he died of his injuries five days later. The man who murdered Aaron was arrested shortly after the crime and has been judged not mentally fit to stand trial for his death.

Aaron is the twelfth Tacoma homicide this year and it’s just the beginning of the fourth month of the year. Up until recently twelve homicides would have been a year’s worth of homicides in Tacoma. This time the year is barely ninety days old and we’re already there.

Aaron was an only child who struggled with addiction for twenty years and was denied the opportunity to get clean when a mentally deranged man ended his life.

As always, the comments section is moderated and reserved for those who knew Aaron and would like to leave a thought or memory about him. Also if anyone who knows him would like me to post a photo of him on this article, write me at jackcameronis@gmail.com.

  • Jack Cameron

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11th Tacoma Homicide of 2020: Kelsea Michelle Carlson

Posted on September 26, 2020 | Leave a comment

 On April 3rd 28-year-old Kelsea Michelle Carlson logged onto her incarcerated father’s social media account looking for a buyer for the half pound of methamphetamine she was looking to sell. After finding a seller, shortly before midnight, three men showed up to the apartment she shared with her 33-year-old fiancé in the 1400 block of South Union Ave. One of the men said that something wasn’t right about the deal and pulled a pistol. He shot Kelsea multiple times and shot her fiancé twice in the leg. The three men then left. One left behind his cellphone. Kelsea’s fiancé called 9-1-1 and told them to hurry. By the time first responders arrived, Kelsea had died from her wounds. Her fiancé survived, but had to have surgery on his leg.

Kelsea is the eleventh Tacoma homicide this year and the second drug related murder in a week. There is a certain portion of the population who do not care about drug related murders. It’s easy to be callous right up until the point where you realize that every homicide victim has friends and family who will never be the same thanks to their loved one being stolen from them. In Kelsea’s case, she has a young daughter who is now going to grow up never knowing her mother. The thing people tend to forget about homicides is that the person who was murdered is only one of many victims of the crime.

Kelsea’s family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to pay for her funeral expenses.

As always, the comments section is moderated and reserved for those who knew Kelsea and want to share any thoughts or memories of her.

  • Jack

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10th Tacoma Homicide of 2020: Dante Robinson

Posted on September 25, 2020 | Leave a comment

It was near 11pm on March 31st when 28-year-old Dante Robinson was shot to death in an apartment in the 1800 block of South 15th Street. He sustained one gunshot wound. Officers arrived and performed CPR, but Dante died on the scene. Despite my writing this nearly six month later, this is literally all the information I’ve been able to find about Dante Robinson’s death.

Dante Robinson is the tenth Tacoma homicide this year and the seventh Tacoma homicide in the month of March. Just a few years ago six homicides would have been half a year’s worth of homicides in Tacoma.

Dante was born in Kissimmee, Florida and joined the Army directly after high school and was deployed to Afghanistan for six months. After that he served out the next two and a half years at JBLM, near Tacoma. He was the father of a daughter and a son. Dante was known for being a quiet and gentle presence. He was a practicing Christian and active in his church and had a very loving family.

The comments section is moderated by me and reserved for friends and family of Dante who would like to share thoughts or memories of him.

  • Jack

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9th Tacoma Homicide of 2020: Deon McGhee

Posted on September 24, 2020 | Leave a comment

On the evening of March 25th, 21-year-old Deon McGhee told a 28-year-old acquaintance he had met that day through a friend that he could get him some Xanax for $300. The man agreed and got into a car with Deon driving and Deon’s uncle in the backseat. The man transferred $300 electronically to Deon, but Deon didn’t see it in his account and asked the man to do it again. The man did this a total of three times, transferring a total of $900 to Deon’s account. The man then stabbed Deon in the neck. The car crashed in the 1000 block of North Villard Street. Upon impact the three men ran in three different directions. Deon stumbled to a nearby porch and sat. Police arrived and tried CPR. Paramedics showed up, but Deon died before he arrived at the hospital becoming the ninth Tacoma homicide this year.

Deon’s alleged killer was arrested and charged with first degree murder shortly after.

I was unable to find much information on Deon McGhee beyond his activities on the final day of his life. At 21-years of age he was too young for anyone to know what sort of person he might have ended up becoming. What we know is that Tacoma has lost another young resident to homicidal violence. I know there are those who will just dismiss this as another drug deal gone wrong and ignore the tragedy of the loss of life, but personally I subscribe to the theory that everyone is more than their worst actions. And having written about Tacoma homicides of all sorts of individuals over the year, I can say with certainty that every single person has someone who loves them and someone who will never be the same if that person is taken from them.

As always, the comments section is reserved for friends and family of Deon McGhee who might want to share thoughts or memories of him. And if you have a photo of him you’d like to share, please email it to me at jackcameornis@gmail.com.

  • Jack

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8th Tacoma Homicide of 2020: Raymond Martine Serrano

Posted on September 23, 2020 | Leave a comment

On Wednesday, March 18th, at 11:24pm in the 300 block of East 26th Street a car with three people in it approached 36-year-old Raymond Martine Serrano. Someone in the car opened fire and the car drove off. Raymond fell in the middle of the street. Paramedics arrived shortly after and performed CPR, but they were unable to save his life. Raymond Serrano is the fourth Tacoma homicide in a month and the eighth Tacoma homicide this year.

Raymond was known to the police as a registered sex offender with a child molestation conviction and a habit of going on the run from the law. He was wanted at the time of his death in fact.

The three individuals in the car were arrested shortly after the incident.

Here are TacomaStories, I always try to focus on the victim and put them in the best possible light. They’ve lost their lives. Whatever they’ve done, they’ve paid for it. And no matter who someone is, they have people who cared for them and loved them.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find much about Raymond beyond his trouble with the law. Anyone who knew him and wants to share thoughts or memories, please know that the comments section is moderated and reserved exclusively for that.

  • Jack

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7th Tacoma Homicide of 2020: Jermaine Campbell

Posted on September 23, 2020 | Leave a comment

In the early morning hours of March 12th, 36-year-old Jermaine Campbell and a 24-year-old friend were with a woman who tried to grab the 24-year-old’s gun. While she was unable to get the gun, she was able to get his car keys and drove off in his Volkswagen Jetta. Jermaine and the man got into Jermaine’s Ford Explorer and gave chase. They caught up to her around 1:30am near the 3800 block of South Lawrence. The man opened fire on the car, but Jermaine’s Explorer bumped him while he was still firing. One of the bullets hit Jermaine in the chest. Jermaine then drove two blocks and crashed into a parked semitruck.

A security guard called the police after hearing the shots. They found the Jetta but there was no one inside. They also found a gun inside the car, but the car was locked. An hour and a half later they were called to the scene of the accident and found Jermaine Campbell dead from his gunshot wound.

Police later caught up with the man who shoe Jermaine and arrested him. This is Tacoma’s seventh homicide this year and the fourth in one week.

I wasn’t able to find much about Jermaine’s life or even a photo of him online. As always the comment section is moderated and reserved for those who knew Jermaine and want to share thoughts or memories of him. If you’d like to send me a photo I can add to this post, email me at jackcameronis@gmail.com.

  • Jack

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6th Tacoma Homicide of 2020: Ozelle Tyrece Tate

Posted on September 22, 2020 | 1 comment

On the afternoon of March 11th, Ozelle Tyrece Tate left the County City Building where he had appeared in Pierce County Superior Court on a charge of first-degree theft. After leaving the courthouse he walked to his car in the 1500 block of South G Street. Another man approached in another car and asked if he could talk to Ozelle. Ozelle noticed agreed to talk to him but noticed the man was armed. The conversation turned into an argument. A woman found a nearby police officer and told him that there was a fight. Before the officer could get there, a shot was fired. Ozelle had been hit in the thigh and the shooter had driven off.

The shooter was later located in Georgia and arrested.

Ozelle Tryrece Tate is the sixth Tacoma homicide this year. He was a father of four. He had an outgoing personality. He was someone who could talk to anyone. And his loss echoes through the lives of those he knew.

As always the comments section is moderated with each comment approved by me and is reserved for those who knew Ozelle and want to share thoughts or memories of him.

  • Jack

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