A witness told detectives the gunman pulled out his gun after the victim refused to move.
TACOMA, Wash. — Pierce County prosecutors have charged a Tacoma man with second-degree murder after detectives said witnesses and surveillance video linked him to a fatal shooting at a homeless encampment in April.
James Edward Henderson, also known as “Big Daddy,” “Jimmy Henderson” and “Papa,” was charged Monday with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
The charges stem from an April 23 shooting near South 11th Street and South J Street in Tacoma.
The victim, identified by the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office as Khiree Shakur Johnson-Scott, also known as “Fly,” was shot in the chest and died in an ambulance being transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Shortly before the shooting, Johnson-Scott was sitting in a chair outside the tent, according to court documents. A witness told detectives he heard someone say “move around,” and the victim responded with something like, “I’m not moving around.” Witnesses then heard a gunshot and saw the victim running away injured.
Detectives initially spoke with people at the camp who did not say they saw the shooting. Two days later, Tacoma police told detectives they heard from several people that “Dad” or “Big Daddy” was the shooter, court documents show.
A witness later told detectives he saw what happened. Witnesses said the victim “got in the guy’s way” and was motionless when “the guy” shot him. When detectives asked for the name “Dad,” witnesses said that was the man who shot the victim.
Witnesses also recognized Henderson from booking photos, according to court documents.
Another witness told detectives he saw the gunman walking past his tent and then encountered the victim, who was sitting in a chair on the sidewalk. Witnesses said the two exchanged words briefly before the victim stood up and the gunman pulled out a gun and fired.
The witness later viewed a series of photos and recognized Henderson, according to court documents.
Detectives also reviewed video from the area. According to court documents, video shows a man believed to be Henderson walking near the Martin Luther King Jr. building at the time of the shooting and then leaving the area as police cars arrived.
Prosecutors said Henderson had four previous felony convictions, including second-degree murder in 1996 and second-degree assault in 2017. He is prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm, court documents say.
In 1996, Henderson was sentenced to 10 years in prison after shooting Don Cady in what court documents said was retaliation for Cady’s failure to pay for drugs.
