Three men charged with attempted murder in connection with Feb. 6 Yelm shooting
Three men have been charged with attempted murder in connection with a Feb. 6 drive-by shooting in Yelm.
The shooting occurred after sunset in the parking lot of a clinic near the intersection of Cullens Street Northwest and West Yelm Avenue.
Two victims were hospitalized with gunshot injuries — a 21-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy. A third victim, a then 16-year-old boy, was present but not injured. The Olympian previously reported on the shooting but Yelm police shared few details about the incident, citing the ongoing investigation and involvement of minors.
Court records show at least three suspects have since turned themselves in to law enforcement.
Each of them is being held in the county jail in lieu of $1 million bail. They have each been charged with three counts of first-degree attempted murder while armed with a firearm and three counts of drive-by shooting.
Yelm police booked Jason Victor Booze, 20, into the county jail on April 15 following an April 11 interview at the Yelm Police Department, according to court and jail records.
Booze attended his preliminary appearance in Thurston County Superior Court on April 16 and was charged two days later.
Buc-Quan Mills, 18, turned himself in to law enforcement on Feb. 27 and attended his preliminary appearance the following day. Prosecutors charged him on Feb. 19 and a warrant for his arrest was issued the next day.
Tomas Rafael A. Ramirez-Kerrigan, 18, turned himself in a few days after the shooting on Feb. 12 while he was still a minor. He attended his preliminary appearance on Feb. 14 and was charged four days later.
Ramirez-Kerrigan was booked into the county jail on March 7, the day he turned 18.
Mills and Ramirez-Kerrigan pleaded not guilty at their respective arraignment hearings. Jury trial for both of them has been scheduled for July 21, however that may change between now and then.
Meanwhile, Booze is scheduled to attend an arraignment hearing on April 29.
The investigation into the Feb. 6 shooting
Court records include a probable cause statement that describes the investigation from the perspective of law enforcement. The latest statement in the Booze case summarizes the findings so far.
Yelm police responded to a report of a shooting outside a clinic at about 8:15 p.m. Feb. 6. When they arrived, officers began treating two victims with gunshot wounds.
One of them was found in the passenger seat of a Kia Forte in the parking lot of the clinic and another, who was determined to be the driver, was found at a nearby gas station. A third, uninjured victim also was found near the car.
Officers found on the ground what they believed to be 5.56 or .223-caliber bullet casings, six grey 7.62x39 mm caliber spent rifle cartridges and two fired .40 caliber cartridges. The car the victims were in also had bullet holes.
A separate 911 caller reported they heard six or seven gun shots, according to the statement.
Two of the victims identified Ramirez-Kerrigan and Mills as shooters.
One victim told officers the driver picked him and the other passenger up in Tacoma and drove around before ending up at the parking lot in Yelm.
He said he was listening to music when a red car backed into the parking stall to the left of their car. He said he recognized one of the occupants of the red car and then a gunshot went off.
The driver of the Kia accelerated to leave the parking lot but he was struck by additional gunfire and the Kia crashed. The driver then exited the Kia and ran to the nearby gas station for help. He was treated at a local hospital for at least three bullet wounds.
During the investigation, police identified an Alfa Romeo Guilia owned by Mills as the red car from which the suspect shot at the victims.
Ramirez-Kerrigan turned himself in on Feb. 12 and Mills followed on Feb. 27.
On Aprill 11, Booze met with a Yelm detective for an interview. He allegedly admitted to the detective that he shot a rifle two or three times at the Kia.
He said he was sleeping in the back seat of the Alfa Romeo when he heard a gunshot and woke up. He got up and shot at the Kia, thinking his vehicle was the one being shot at. He said he did not know who was shooting or where the shots were coming from.
Booze said he freaked out and tossed the rifle back into the Alfa Romeo with Ramirez-Kerrigan and ran towards his home. He said he saw Mills drive past him.
The statement says law enforcement believe there were five occupants in the Alfa Romeo on Feb. 6. Court records have only identified three adult suspects.
