‘The sad cycle of gang life.’ Man sentenced for Tacoma drive-by that left man paralyzed

A 23-year-old man convicted by a jury of attempted murder for a drive-by shooting in Tacoma that prosecutors said was retaliation for a gang robbery was sentenced Friday to 50 years in prison.

Pierce County prosecutors say Alexander Semaj Isaiah Carson has been committing crimes since he was 11 years old. He started off small — thefts, burglaries and other non-violent property crimes.

Soon, Carson graduated to more dangerous offenses such as robberies. The justice system offered resources and opportunities for the young man to rehabilitate himself, but it was no use, prosecutors said. Carson liked violating the law and terrorizing his enemies, they said.

It was that path that led Carson to the passenger’s seat of his co-defendant’s car on March 25, 2023 at a smoke shop on Portland Avenue. There, Superior Court Judge Susan Adams said before pronouncing sentence, he directed the driver, Jeremy Vanzant-Volpe, and another man in the car to don their black balaclavas and follow their target, Treyvon Clark, to his Eastside home.

Once there, Carson stuck his hand out the window and shot a handgun modified for automatic fire, spraying 19 bullets in two seconds. Clark was struck in the forehead. Deputy prosecuting attorney Sunni Ko said Friday that Clark would be dead if not for modern medicine and the plate he had in his skull from a previous shooting.

Carson and Vanzant-Volpe, 22, were convicted May 23 in a joint jury trial. Vanzant-Volpe was the only witness to testify for the defense, according to court records. Both men were found guilty of first-degree assault and drive-by shooting. Carson was convicted of first-degree attempted murder, but Vanzant-Volpe was acquitted of that crime. He is to be sentenced Aug. 2.

Jurors also found Carson guilty of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle. The latter two charges stemmed from Carson’s arrest, when he fled from Tacoma Police Department officers in a stolen vehicle onto Interstate 5, reportedly going over 130 mph and weaving in and out of traffic. Carson crashed into another vehicle while trying to take an exit in King County, then ran from officers down a steep embankment where he was apprehended.

Ko asked the court to give Carson a high-end sentence for the crimes, 50 years in prison. She argued it was justified by the defendant’s “utter lack of remorse” and his decision to follow his victim to his home, wear a face mask to conceal his identity and fire an automatic weapon.

What jurors in the case didn’t hear about, Ko said, were the defendant’s ties to gangs. She said prosecutors had a gang expert who would have testified that the shooting was retaliation for a robbery the week before at a rap studio that involved two different sets of gangs. But testimony related to the defendant’s gang ties was excluded from trial.

“I’m asking the court to send a sentence, render a sentence that keeps our community safe and whole, away from Mr. Carson, who is in fact a danger to the community in every aspect of the law,” Ko said.

Carson’s defense attorney, Dana Ryan, told Adams he didn’t believe anyone planned the shooting. He said it was a crime of opportunity that occurred in a split second.

“I don’t think anyone in that car knew that the victim would be standing outside, but he was, so shots were fired,” the attorney said.

Before Adams handed down the sentence, she heard from the mother of Clark, Amanda Banks, and one of Carson’s aunts, Lydia Flanagan, who traveled to court from the East Coast with at least 10 other relatives to support Carson.

Banks told the judge of the trauma that still follows her from the shooting and her son’s grueling road to recover. She relives the shooting every day, she said, and still hears the gunshots when she closes her eyes.

Her son spent 17 days on life support and will never be the same, Banks said. Clark’s arm was paralyzed, and he suffered a brain infection. Banks recalled having to teach her son how to breathe on his own again. She said he can’t do anything without having a caregiver around 24 hours a day, including care for his own son or play his favorite video game, Fortnite.

The mother asked Adams to impose the maximum sentence possible. She said it wouldn’t be fair for Carson to have a life beyond prison while her own son is the way he is now.

“Maybe my son is alive in body, but he’s not the same son as before, and he never will be,” Banks said.

Flanagan explained how she, like her nephew, was once seduced by the streets of Tacoma and landed in prison, and that what was playing out in court Friday was the sad cycle of gang life.

She said the environment the young men involved in the case grew up in is “absolutely unforgiving,” and she asked Adams to consider the influence of gangs when deciding what sentence to impose.

“I know that the culture these young men are pressured to become part of plays the biggest role,” Flanagan said. “Not having father figures or hope for anything beyond what we see in the dark alleys of Tacoma. Those alleys shape countless young minds.”

Flanagan said the prior offenses read off by the prosecutor sounded eerily similar to the record of Carson’s father and her brother, except his record began at the age of 8. Now, she said, his father was released three years ago from a 30-year sentence and was thriving as a man of God. She said she hoped that one day Carson would mature. She said he is a smart man with a beautiful heart, but she didn’t think many people had been able to experience it

The aunt said she thought it was important to remember that Carson was shot six times a short time before this incident by the victim and a friend. The statement drew sharp denials from the courtroom gallery where Clark’s family was seated, and Adams threatened to remove anyone who couldn’t stay quiet.

Flanagan apologized and said she didn’t intend to specifically accuse Clark. She said she was thankful that the victim had recovered.

“This is the sad cycle of gang life, and no one wins.” Flanagan said. “And sometimes children — they never become men.”

When it was Carson’s turn to address the court, he shook his head and put his face in his hands.

“May only God judge me,” Carson said.

Adams handed down the defendant’s sentence, and he was led away. Relatives in the gallery told him they loved him as he left the room.

After court adjourned, Banks told The News Tribune she was satisfied with the judge’s sentence. Asked if she hoped to hear any kind of apology from Carson in court, Banks said she knew he wouldn’t apologize.

“He didn’t care,” the mother said.