A witness told detectives the shooter pulled out a gun after the victim refused to move.
TACOMA, Wash. — Pierce County prosecutors charged a Tacoma man with second-degree murder after detectives said witnesses and surveillance video connected him to a deadly shooting at a homeless encampment in April.
James Edward Henderson, also known as “Big Papa,” “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 once in the chest and died in an ambulance while being taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital.
According to court documents, Johnson-Scott was sitting in a chair outside a tent shortly before the shooting. One witness told detectives he heard someone say “move around” before the victim responded with something similar to “I’m not moving.” The witness then heard a gunshot and later saw the victim running around while injured.
Detectives initially spoke with people at the encampment who did not say they saw the shooting. Two days later, Tacoma police officers told detectives they had heard from several people that “Papa” or “Big Papa” was the shooter, according to court documents.
One witness later told detectives he saw what happened. The witness said the victim was “in the guy’s way” and would not move, and that “the guy” shot him. When detectives asked about the name “Papa,” the witness said that was the person who shot the victim.
The witness also identified Henderson from a booking photo, according to court documents.
Another witness told detectives he saw the shooter walk past his tent before encountering the victim, who was sitting in a chair blocking the sidewalk. The witness said the two had a short exchange before the victim stood up and the shooter took out a gun and fired once.
That witness later viewed a photo lineup and identified Henderson, according to court documents.
Detectives also reviewed video from the area. According to court documents, footage showed a person believed to be Henderson walking near Martin Luther King Jr. Way around the time of the shooting and later leaving the area as police cars arrived.
Prosecutors said Henderson has four prior felony convictions, including second-degree murder in 1996 and second-degree assault in 2017. Court documents say he is prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm.
In 1996, Henderson was sentenced to 10 years in prison after the fatal shooting of Don Cady, in what court documents described as retaliation after Cady didn’t pay for drugs.
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