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Hello, everyone. Since this site began in 2005, it has been hosted on WordPress. WordPress has been a good home for TacomaStories, but I feel it’s time for a change.

Beginning on May 1, 2023 TacomaStories will be hosted on Substack.

There are a number of reasons for this change, but the first and foremost one is that Substack is not ad based. While I’ve avoided selling advertisements on TacomaStories during the nearly 20 years the site has been active, WordPress charges me money if I want to remove their advertisements.

I don’t mind offering TacomaStories for free and intend to continue to have no paywalls on TacomaStories, but I’d prefer it not actually cost me money to do this.

And so TacomaStories is moving to Substack.

If all goes as planned, you won’t have to do anything at all to keep accessing TacomaStories.

That said, it has never been easier to support TacomaStories. You can subscribe for free or you can choose to support TacomaStories financially with a paid subscription. Both free and paid subscribers will receive all the same posts.

Think of it like PBS. Most people just watch, but it’s made possible by people who offer financial support.

You don’t have to. It’s not required. But if you’d like to help me offset the costs of website maintenance, research, and other resources, I’d really appreciate it.

Click the link below to sign up for the new website. Or just wait until May and go to TacomaStories.com.

https://tacomastories.substack.com

– Jack Cameron

Jake Red was twenty-eight years old. He was born in New Orleans, the oldest of four children. He was funny and outgoing. People tended to like Jake Red when they met him. On August 12^th he was hanging out with friends when one of them accused him of sleeping with that friend’s children’s mother. He hadn’t and said so. The conversation then drifted to other topics. Later in the day, at around 5pm, the friend pulled up alongside a vehicle Jake was riding in. He asked Jake why he wasn’t answering his cellphone. The two vehicles pulled into a parking lot on South 64^th and Yakima so the three men could talk. The friend again accused Jake of being involved with that man’s children’s mother. Jake again denied it. The friend then retrieved a handgun and said, “I think you’re playing me.” And then he started shooting.

The man in the SUV with Jake returned fire with his own gun as the friend fled. The man then began to drive to get Jake help. Police arrived moments later, but by that time Jake had died from gunshot wounds to his neck, back, and stomach. Jake is the twenty-first Tacoma homicide this year.

Jake’s killer was found a few hours later hiding under a vehicle where he shot a police dog before being shot himself by police sustaining non-life-threatening injuries.

The resulting media coverage of Jake’s murder and its aftermath focused more on Ranja the police dog than Jake Red. And while I’m sure there’s a real loss within the police department in Ranja’s death, there is no comparison to be made to the depth of loss of Jake Red. Jake had a family, friends, and loved ones. He loved children though he never had a chance to have any himself.

The comments section is reserved for friends and family of Jake Red to share thoughts and memories of him. He is not forgotten.

• Jack Cameron

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. 58^th Street. By May 8^th, 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