Bail set at $1 million for Ruddell Road murder suspect

Bail was set at $1 million Tuesday for Dallas F. Martin, 17, one of five people arrested in connection to the Oct. 21 fatal shooting of Alex Thomas-Anderson, 19.

Martin will be tried as an adult. At a Tuesday hearing, the judge found probable cause for four felony charges: first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Law enforcement officials believe that Thomas-Anderson of Olympia was killed when a marijuana deal went “tragically wrong” at a Ruddell Road home.

Three suspects already face charges in the case and appeared in court Monday afternoon:

▪ Tyler N. Bremer, 26, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver while armed with a deadly weapon. He has no prior criminal convictions, but has pending misdemeanor charges in two other counties, according to the court. Bail was set at $150,000.

▪ Charles J. Tate, 27, is charged with one count of first-degree assault while armed with a firearm and one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver while armed. Bail was set at $150,000.

▪ Mateo A. Q. Rodriguez, 18, is charged with one count of second-degree assault while armed with a firearm and one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver while armed with a deadly weapon. Bail was set at $25,000.

A fifth suspect, a 21-year-old man, is still at Providence St. Peter Hospital and has not yet been arrested or charged with a crime, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. He suffered a gunshot wound to his abdomen and a “grazing wound” to his side.

Court documents give the following account of the incident:

The shooting occurred at Tate’s home on Ruddell Road, where Martin and the 21-year-old suspect had arrived to buy 20 ounces of marijuana for $3,500. The two suspects began arguing with Bremer because they believed he was armed. The first argument ended, and a short time later, Martin and Tate began to argue about money.

The 21-year-old then pointed a gun at Bremer’s head, and they struggled on the couch. That’s when Martin allegedly pulled a gun from his pants and began shooting in the direction of Bremer.

A witness told detectives that Martin likely fired the shot that killed Thomas-Anderson, who had been sitting on the couch next to Bremer. Investigators say the suspect’s weapon was loaded with six hollow-point rounds and six slug-type rounds, and that the victim was likely shot by a hollow-point round.

Rodriguez, who had initially helped set up the marijuana deal, was standing near Martin when the shots were fired. Rodriguez took a gun away from Martin, then pointed the gun at another man in the room, told him to sit down and searched him for weapons. Rodriguez turned the gun over to law enforcement.

Martin and the 21-year-old suspect fled the scene and were later located by law enforcement at the emergency room at Providence St. Peter Hospital. They had been dropped off by a white sedan that was registered to the 21-year-old man. The vehicle was seized as evidence, and blood was found inside.

Bremer told detectives that he fired his gun once after the initial shot was fired at Thomas-Anderson. Tate told detectives that he had grabbed a gun once shots had been fired at the 21-year-old suspect. Tate said he intended to kill the 21-year-old suspect and believed he shot him at least eight times.

According to documents, the shooting inside the home was recorded on video.

This story was originally published October 26, 2015 at 11:37 AM with the headline "Bail set at $1 million for Ruddell Road murder suspect."