Peter Talbot / The News Tribune
A 22-year-old man charged Friday in a fatal shooting at Lakewood Towne Center shot a man 13 to 15 times, according to court records. Pierce County prosecutors said he shot the man for no reason.
Sarome Jaquan Marquis Stabler was charged in Pierce County Superior Court with first- and second-degree murder in the killing of a 38-year-old man who has not been publicly identified. According to charging documents, multiple witnesses reported seeing the defendant shoot the victim in the parking lot of a Target store and continue to fire gunshots while the man was on the ground.
Pleas of not guilty were entered on Stabler's behalf at arraignment Friday afternoon. Commissioner Craig Adams set bail at $1 million. He said the facts alleged in prosecutors' probable cause document were "somewhat chilling."
Arguing for that bail amount, deputy prosecutor Afton Gregson said that given the random nature of the shooting, she considered Stabler a threat to the community.
"This was basically an execution," Gregson said. "He shot the victim 13 to 15 times for no reason, to include emptying his gun into the victim while the victim was lying on the ground helpless."
The killing was the first homicide recorded in Lakewood so far this year, and the 10th reported across Pierce County's cities and towns. At this time last year, Lakewood had one homicide, and the county total was 23.
Stabler does not have a criminal history, Gregson said. During the proceeding, Stabler told the court he had been unemployed for about a month and was meant to start a new job Friday. He said he'd previously been paid to help take care of his grandmother.
The shooting was reported shortly after 3 p.m. at 5618 Lakewood Towne Center Blvd., according to court records. Lakewood Police Department officers responded after receiving multiple reports of gunfire in a parking lot.
Officers found the victim with gunshot wounds to his chest, back and on an arm and leg, prosecutors wrote in charging papers. West Pierce Fire & Rescue personnel transported him to Madigan Army Medical Center, where he died shortly after arriving.
Stabler was standing about 15 feet from the victim, and a black pistol was on the ground between them, records state. The defendant complied with officers' orders and said the gun was his, and that he owned it legally.
"He walked up on me reaching and I got, I got scared," Stabler allegedly said, according to the probable cause document.
Surveillance video captured shooting
Officers detained Stabler without incident. In an interview with detectives, the defendant allegedly confessed to shooting the victim, and he said he had never met or seen the man before. Stabler told detectives the man walked up to him quickly, staring at him without speaking. Records state Stabler said the man reached into a backpack strapped on front of his chest, and he asked him what he was reaching for, but the man didn't answer.
Stabler allegedly said he asked the man a second time, but he still didn't answer. According to the probable cause document, the defendant said he felt in fear for his safety so he shot the man.
At arraignment, Gregson said surveillance video from a business at the shopping center didn't support Stabler's version of events. Records state the video showed the two walking toward each other in the parking lot. The video had no sound, so it's unknown what was said, but there was no physical interaction before the shooting.
Stabler is allegedly seen pulling a Glock 17 semiautomatic pistol out of his jacket, then firing at the other man as he was about 8-10 feet away. Two witnesses who spoke with police reported hearing the defendant say something to the effect of, "Why'd you do it?" over and over as he fired rounds at the victim.
Officers recovered 13-15 expended shell casings and bullet fragments, according to the probable cause document. A black Glock 17 with a gray slide was recovered.
Five witnesses reported seeing Stabler shoot the man, records state. One, a bus driver, told police the victim was standing near the defendant while holding various bags. The driver said the victim appeared to be transient. He said the defendant suddenly retrieved a handgun, and then he heard seven gunshots, followed by two more while the victim was on the ground.
