James Taafulisia, 17, and his brother, Jerome Taafulisia, 16, have been charged with murder in the shootings of five people in “the Jungle” homeless camp in Seattle. (Washington State Patrol)
Three teen brothers have been charged with murder in a shooting spree police say they carried out at a Seattle homeless camp on their mother’s birthday over a $500 drug debt owed to her.
James & Jerome Taafulisia, 17 and 16, are charged as adults with two counts of first-degree felony murder and three counts of first-degree assault, along with firearms charges, the Seattle Times reports.
Their 13-year-old brother is facing the same charges as a juvenile, but the prosecutor said he was a full participant in the slayings.
Police said Jeanine Zapata, 45, and James Quoc Tran, 33, were killed in the shooting at the camp known as “The Jungle,” near downtown Seattle. Three others, a man and two women, survived the shooting.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. A Witness Said the Teens Were Targeting a Man Named ‘Phats’ & Looking for Drugs & Cash
Breaking! AVOID Airport Way & S. Atlantic St. after shooting in #Seattle near homeless camp. Multiple ppl shot.
The three teen brothers went to “The Jungle” homeless camp to collect a $500 drug debt owed to their 37-year-old mother, according to charging documents in the case. Their mother, Lisa Valasi, has not been charged.
According to the court documents released by the prosecuting attorney’s office, a witness told police the gunmen were targeting a man known as “Phats” and were looking for drugs and cash.
After the shooting they fled with $100 worth of black tar heroin and $200 to $300 in cash, police said.
The family is “known” to police, according to the Times and could be connected to a group responsible for an October homicide. No other details about that killing were released.
Valasi, the boys’ mother, had “little reaction” when she was told by detectives her sons had been charged with murder, according to police. She told detectives that on her birthday her sons said they were going to do a “Lick,” street slang for a robbery, on Phat, and she didn’t believe they were serious.
2. The Youngest Brother ‘Laughed’ While Telling an Informant About What Happened, Police Say
ATF agents assist in the investigation into The Jungle shooting. (ATF/Twitter)
Police used an informant to record the teens talking about the shooting, according to the charging documents released by the King County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney.
The brothers were dropped off by their mother at the meeting on Sunday. Police said the oldest brother, James Taafulisia, told the informant was armed with a .45-caliber handgun during the shooting and his 16-year-old brother, Jerome Taafulisia, had a .22 caliber handgun.
The 13-year-old brother “laughed” when he told the informant what he saw during the shooting, according to police. He said after the shooting he grabbed the targeted victim’s belongings and drugs and ran away with them.
The brothers tried to sell one of the handguns to the informant and said the other gun belonged to their mother. The brothers said their mother was angry at them when she found out about the shooting.
3. The Older Brothers Have Been Charged With Robbery & Theft in the Past
Several Seattle police officers/detectives at HMC following shooting on Airport Way-Several ppl shot.
If convicted in the shooting, the older brothers face between 90 to 113 years in prison, but juveniles charged as adults are eligible to have their sentences reviewed after serving 20 years in prison. The 13-year-old brother could face prison until he turns 21 if convicted.
Both of the older brothers have criminal records, according to the Seattle Times.
James Taafulisia was charged last year with making false statements to police and has convictions for robbery and theft, committed when he was 14 in 2012.
Jerome Taafulisia was charged with stealing a backpack from a fellow middle school student while armed with a Taser, according to court records. In February, he and friends were accused of carjacking a taxi cab, threatening the driver with a pellet gun and then leading police on a pursuit.
He told police it was “fun and exciting,” according to the Times.
4. All 3 Brothers Have Been Recently Reported Missing by Washington Police
The scene of the shooting. (ATF/Twitter)
The brothers are homeless and live with their mother in tents and a Chevrolet Suburban, according to court documents. They had been staying several blocks away from The Jungle camp.
The three brothers have been reported missing by Washington state authorities in the past year, according to records on the Washington State Patrol website.
James Taafulisia was reported to have last been seen August 3, 2015, in Seattle. Police said his nickname is HPKJames Highway. Jerome Taafulisia was reported missing November 1, 2015, from Marysville, Washington.
The 13-year-old brother went missing on September 11, 2015, from Seattle. According to the Seattle Times, he was stopped by a Seattle police officer that month and gave a false name, before being identified as a missing youth through his fingerprints. He told officers he lied because he “hates going to jail,” police said.
It’s not clear who reported the brothers missing.
5. The Shooting Came as Seattle’s Mayor Was Giving a Speech About the City’s Homeless Problem
After Seattle mayor delivers speech on homelessness, he’s told of shooting with multiple victims at a homeless camp:
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray was holding a special address on homelessness in Seattle at 7:30 p.m., around the same time of the shooting, according to The Seattle Channel.
“I believe we can make progress…We can put aside the polarizing rhetoric & outdated thinking. We can come together to find common ground,” Murray said during the speech, according to his Twitter account. “I believe Seattle can do this- by listening, by challenging each other, by collaborating, & above all, by respecting those who are suffering.”
“The Jungle” is a homeless camp located in the greenbelt on the slop of Beacon Hill near downtown Seattle, according to a Seattle Times report.
SPD advised us to get out–they say there is an active shooter, after 5 people were shot in jungle homeless camp
The area has been occupied by homeless people for several years and is known as a high-crime area.
In 2012, Seattle Police wrote a press release about a check-in officers did on the camp.
“Every day, thousands of people drive past the greenbelt—which sits on a Washington State Department of Transportation property along Interstate 5, stretching all the way up the South Precinct—or pass through it on the newly opened Mountain to Sound Trail, which rolls along Beacon Hill’s west slope. But the greenbelt’s forest canopy also serves as a shield from the elements for the many homeless men and women who live in encampments tucked into the wooded hillside. That same canopy, unfortunately, also provides cover for drug dealers and other criminals,” police said.
Seattle is set to spend about $50 million to address homelessness in the city, KING-TV reported.
On Thursday, the prosecutor in the shooting case called for the homeless camp to be shut down.
