‘He was just loved so much.’ Family of Bonney Lake man killed in early June speaks out
This past weekend several friends and relatives showed their love for 23-year-old Spencer Emerson during a gathering in his honor. Emerson was known as the life of the party and enjoyed lighting up everyone’s mood.
Emerson was fatally shot June 8 inside a Bonney Lake residence near the 11100 block of 166th Avenue East. He died from multiple gunshot wounds, and his manner of death is listed as a homicide, the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office reported in a news release.
“Spencer, he was my little brother. So to me, I watched him grow up,” Alyssa Kirsch, Emerson’s sister, told The News Tribune. “This has definitely hit very hard.”
Prosecutors allege that Emerson was shot after an argument with his roommate, 22-year-old Jacob Michael Sottile. Emerson found Sottile in his room that night with a handgun that belonged to the owner of the house they were renting. Sottile was known to grab the homeowner’s gun without his permission, a News Tribune story previously reported.
Emerson grabbed the gun and asked Sottile why he had it. After Emerson took the gun, Sottile allegedly grabbed another one and shots rang out. Emerson and a 24-year-old man were hit with gunshots. The 24-year-old man survived his injuries, the story said. Sottile was charged with murder and assault and is being held at Pierce County Jail on a $1.5 million bail.
Kirsch found out her brother was killed after Emerson’s friend contacted her early in the morning. Kirsch then told their mother, Tammy Emerson.
“It’s pretty fresh, and it’s just been dealing with the details you have to deal with, wrapping my head around what has happened and where we go from there on further legal issues,” Tammy Emerson told The News Tribune.
Kirsch said that she has had to explain to her 5-year-old son that his uncle is no longer here.
“I have three young children, so I’m just working to take care of them and also talk them through things that they’re having to see as a result of me being pretty upset about this,” she said.
Kirsch said she hopes there will be accountability on all fronts in her brother’s death.
“There’s definitely a part of me that wants to go to trial because there are details, I think, involving whose guns they were, that I kind of would like more accountability about,” she said.
Tammy Emerson said that while there is a sense of peace that an arrest was made, she believes they are not even close to finding out if justice has been served.
Before his death, Emerson enjoyed life. From biking to fishing, he loved spending time outdoors or hanging out with his friends, Tammy Emerson said.
“He had a lot of friends that just loved him deeply,” she said. “We had a gathering this past weekend, and it was great to meet a bunch of friends that I hadn’t met, and to see a bunch of friends I hadn’t seen for a while, and they all just out-poured their love for him, so that was really nice to see.”
Kirsch said she would want everyone to know that her brother was loved.
“We want to honor him forever now. He was just loved so much,” she said.
