Homicide suspect arrested in Tacoma shooting; affair unveiled in court documents

TACOMA, Wash. - Police arrested a suspect connected to a shooting that killed one man and injured another in Tacoma last month. Court documents reveal that the victim had been having an affair with the suspect’s girlfriend for months leading up to the shooting.

According to court documents, 43-year-old William Pierre Pelkey was arrested on Thursday, and charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, attempted murder, first-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm.

THE SHOOTING

Just after 2 a.m. on Aug. 27, officers responded to reports of a possible shooting near the corner of S Union Ave. and S 19th St. When officers arrived, they found a Chevrolet Tahoe parked and still running in the Key Bank Parking lot.

According to court documents, when police walked up to the truck, they found a man sitting in the driver’s seat. He was unresponsive, with blood coming from his head and his foot pressed all the way on the gas pedal. Officers immediately called for medical aid, turned off the ignition, and pulled the victim from the truck.

Officers could clearly see the victim had a gunshot wound to his head, though at the time, he was still breathing.

While firefighters treated the victim, officers looked closer at the truck and saw it had two bullet holes and a shattered rearview window that had been shot out. Additionally, officers found around five to six .22 caliber shell casings around the victim’s vehicle.

While the victim, later identified as ‘P.J.’ in court documents, was being taken to a nearby hospital, officers learned that a second victim, P.J.’s brother ‘J.J.’, had also been injured in the shooting.

Officers were told that J.J. was found on S 18th St. screaming that his brother had been shot. J.J. also had been shot in the back and was later taken to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries.

P.J. was pronounced dead three days later, and J.J. is expected to survive.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 1 dead, 1 injured in Tacoma shooting

THE INVESTIGATION

According to court documents, the initial description of the suspect was that he was a Black man in his 20s or 30s. He was wearing a balaclava, red shirt and a black vest. A witness also told officers he was riding a black bicycle. 

J.J. was interviewed by police, but was unable to provide a description because he said he began running when the shooting began.

Another witness, identified as S.B. in court documents, told police he was with the two victims at Franklin Park before the shooting. He told officers the victims were waiting for a text from a woman identified as C.B.

According to S.B., C.B. was Pelkey’s girlfriend, but C.B. and P.J. had been having an affair. S.B. told detectives that Pelkey knew about the affair and was angered by it. S.B. has known Pelkey for a while and told police he uses a bicycle to get around, and even saw him riding it the night before the shooting.

When police researched Pelkey, they discovered he was in a police report filed back in April 2023. In the report, C.B. claimed to have been raped by P.J. According to court documents, P.J. denied these claims, and insisted on coming into the police station for a recorded interview.

In the interview, he told police he had been having an affair with C.B. for months, and that Pelkey was a controlling boyfriend who does not let her go anywhere without his knowledge.

He added that he had consensual sex with her while Pelkey was in the hospital for an overdose. He also stated that he and Pelkey had several heated arguments through text messages about the affair. At the time, P.J. told detectives Pelkey was dangerous.

While researching Pelkey, detectives found out he called police saying P.J. had been threatening him over the phone. Pelkey told police that he feared P.J. would confront him, and he would do something that would put him back in jail.

According to court documents, detectives spoke to J.J. while he was in the hospital. He confirmed that he and P.J. were waiting for a text from C.B. at Franklin Park. After leaving the park in their truck, P.J. spotted a man riding his bike, later identified as Pelkey, and started following him. J.J. said during this whole incident, his brother never named the person on the bike, but it was apparent that the two knew each other.

Eventually, P.J. followed Pelkey to the Key Bank parking lot. The two began arguing, and the moment the bicyclist pulled out a gun, J.J. took off running and heard several gunshots as he was struck in the back.

DETECTIVES REVIEW SURVEILLANCE VIDEO

According to court documents, police reviewed surveillance video from where the shooting happened. Leading up to the shooting, officers could hear someone in the video call for "Will" multiple times, and eventually "William".

After observing the shooting, detectives saw the bicyclist ride in the direction of his residence. 

Detectives then found surveillance video from a neighbor of Pelkey’s, which shows he usually keeps three bicycles outside his home. At the time of the incident, only two bicycles were seen. By the time he returned home, officers saw him park his bicycle – which was consistent with the bicycle seen from footage of the homicide. They also saw Pelkey holding a flashlight and what appeared to be a firearm in his other hand. 

THE ARREST

On Aug. 31, Pelkey was arrested and taken to the Tacoma Police headquarters to be interviewed by detectives. Pelkey confessed to being the shooter, and said he shot P.J. and J.J. as he was running away. He told police he shot J.J. because he didn’t want him to talk, according to court documents. 

Detectives searched Pelkey’s residence, and recovered cell phones, a balaclava and .22 caliber ammunition. A firearm was not located.

Pelkey has been convicted in the past and is prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm.