Court docs: Man accused of shooting, killing Lake Tapps woman just got out of prison that day
LAKE TAPPS, Wash. - The man accused of shooting and killing 33-year-old Abbie Rupnick outside her Lake Tapps home on Thursday was released from prison that very same day, according to court documents.
Just after 1 p.m. on March 24, police were responded to reports of a shooting on 60th Street E. There they found Rupnick with a gunshot wound to the sternum.
A witness told police that 38-year-old Jason Arnold and Rupnick were arguing about Arnold possessing a gun. Arnold was "possibly handing the gun" to Rupnick when she was shot, court documents say. Arnold is a convicted felon and was forbidden from possessing or being around guns.
'She was strong, fearless:' Family stunned after sister shot in front of Lake Tapps home
Family members say the woman who was shot and killed early Thursday morning in Lake Tapps was 33-year-old Abbie Rupnick.
When deputies arrived, they found Rupnick on the ground with a handgun "laying perfectly in her left hand with her palm up," court documents said.
While a deputy was performing CPR on Rupnick, Arnold told them that he had just gotten out of prison that day.
Detectives confronted Arnold with video evidence that appeared to show Arnold trying to place the gun in Rupnick's hand after she was on the ground, but he denied doing so. He later denied pulling the trigger.
Arnold has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
The 37-year-old witness at the scene was detained but later released by detectives. Both appeared to be friends with Rupnick.
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