Family step closer to getting justice in Fife teen's murder following arrest of suspect in Louisiana
CAPTURE UPDATE December 13, 2019 --
Shawn Cooke, pleaded 'not guilty' to charges of 1st Degree Murder and 2nd Degree Murder in Pierce County on Friday.
He was transported from Louisiana and booked into the Pierce County Jail on Thursday.
Cooke is accused of shooting and killing 17-year-old Cameron Wilson on May 13th.
He was arrested in a suburb of New Orleans in October.
FIFE, Wash. -- The family of a murdered Fife teenager is one step closer to getting justice. The U.S. Marshals Service Task Force New Orleans working in conjunction with Fife Police and the U..S. Marshals led Western District of Washington Violent Offender Task Force arrested accused murder suspect Shawn Cooke today. He was located at an apartment in Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans and taken into custody without incident.
Cooke is accused of killing 17-year-old Cameron Wilson in the parking lot of a Dominos Pizza on Pacific Highway East in Fife in May.
The Western District of Washington Violent Offender Task Force worked diligently with Fife Police Department detectives to locate Cooke hiding out in an apartment with his girlfriend.
Investigators believe Cooke recently relocated back to the New Orleans area with the assistance of family or friends. Investigators spent long hours investigating leads as well as tips from the public. Cooke is now awaiting extradition back to Washington and additional investigations are underway for
potential new crimes in Louisiana.
Acting U.S. Marshal Jacob Green stated, “This is a great example of successful collaboration in order to bring justice after a crime of violence. I am proud of the commitment of our investigators on the task force in Washington and Louisiana as well as the Fife Police Department who dedicated
countless hours to locate this dangerous fugitive.”
ORIGINAL STORY:
It has been 10 days and there are still no answers as to who shot and killed 17-year-old Cameron Wilson just weeks before he was set to graduate.
Police need help finding the killer, and Cameron's sister just wants to know who killed her little brother.
“Who did this to my brother? Why would you do this to a 17-year-old? Why?"
Tyeisha Taylor doesn't just want answers, she needs answers.
"I gotta bring it home for him here, like I need these answers. It’s the last big thing I’m gonna do for my little brother. I gotta do this you know? I gotta do this for him.”
Answers Fife Police alongside the Metro Pierce Crime Response Unit need your help finding.
“Just trying to figure out who the last person that saw him alive was.”
Fife Police Det. Sgt. Tom Thompson says Cameron was found dead from a single gunshot wound in the Domino's parking lot in Fife, and because of his age, it struck a chord.
“The men and women who work here, we’re parents too and so, that could have been our child," Thompson said.
It could have been anyone’s child, but it was Cameron, a son, a brother, an uncle, and a friend, Tyeisha says everyone loved him, "which is why I know someone will say something.”
A friend who will be missing from the Todd Beamer High School graduation in just two weeks.
“The last time I seen him, we literally fist pumped and said bro let's bring it in, we’re almost there. Let’s just bring it home. He didn’t get to bring it home," Tyeisha said.
Tyeisha is now putting her faith in others, and says she isn’t mad at her little brother for whatever situation he was mixed up in.
"Whatever he did, it doesn’t matter. I just know it didn’t warrant this. I know that for a fact. I know that for a fact.”
The facts, still missing. One thing though is certain—the pride she had and still has in being Cameron’s big sister.
"I am happy to have shared every single moment we had together and you will forever be in my heart my baby," she said.
Tyeisha tells Q13 News that Cameron was pioneering a "pathway program" for students to convert earned GEDs into high school credit when they feel they have fallen too far behind for traditional methods. She is hoping the school formally names the program after him. She says school administrators proposed calling it the "Cameron Wilson Pathway Program."
“I do believe that there will be good that will come of this," she said. "I insist that there will be something positive that comes from my brother’s life.”
Sgt. Thompson tells Q13 News they are looking into every possible lead in this case; officials say because of Cameron’s age, people with information are probably younger and maybe more reluctant to come forward.
Crime Stoppers of Tacoma/Pierce County is offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 for any information that leads to the arrest of Cameron Wilson's killer. You can submit an anonymous tip through the P3 tips app that you can download to your cell phone for free or call 1-800-222-TIPS.