South Kitsap man who killed suspected mail thief claims self-defense, left scene after shooting

A South Kitsap man charged with first-degree murder for chasing down and killing the driver of a vehicle whose occupants he suspected of stealing mail said he acted in self-defense after attempting to block their vehicle in a cul-de-sac near his home.

Chad Michael Landon Wilson, 39, was found at his residence a short distance from the scene of the shooting in South Kitsap by Kitsap County sheriff's detectives. The shooting on the 5200 block of Brady Place was reported at about 10:56 p.m. on Monday. Richard Utaifeau Taii, 31, of Puyallup, released two hours prior to the shooting from the Kitsap County Jail, was found dead in the driver's seat of a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe from a bullet wound to his head.

Wilson appeared in Kitsap County Superior Court on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. His bail was set at $1 million.

Investigators:Fatal shooting may be connected to mail thefts in South Kitsap neighborhood

Wilson told investigators he saw a white SUV pull onto his street and drive slowly as a passenger opened mailboxes. At first he tried to hail the SUV on foot, but then drove his pickup truck after the SUV, worrying that a $1,500 check for which he had been waiting had been stolen, according to court documents filed Wednesday.

Wilson said he attempted to block the SUV in a cul-de-sac and exited the truck with his 9 mm Sig Sauer handgun.

“With the gun in hand, he began waving both of his arms over his head in an attempt get (sic) the vehicle to stop,” a Kitsap County sheriff’s detective wrote. “Chad said the SUV drove at him at a high rate of speed, causing him to fear for his life, so he shot one round into the SUV as it passed by him approximately two feet from where he was standing."

Wilson returned to his truck and drove home.

Deputies obtained surveillance video from multiple homes on Brady Place that showed the incident, according to court documents.

“As the Tahoe begins to pass the truck, a male’s voice is heard yelling assertively something similar to ‘Give me my (expletive) mail back,’” a detective wrote. “Immediately following the command is what sounds like a single gunshot. The Tahoe continues past the truck and comes to rest where patrol located it.”

Investigators began searching the area for a truck and found one in the driveway of Wilson's home. Wilson spoke to investigators and described the incident and provided a combination to a safe at his home, where they found the handgun.

Investigators also spoke to Taii's girlfriend, who was in the vehicle at the time of the shooting and said she took the wheel after he was shot. The SUV continued rolling and stopped after crashing into a bank of mailboxes.

The woman said that after she and another woman had picked up Taii from the Kitsap County Jail earlier that evening, they drove first to Walmart and then to 7-Eleven for pizza and scratch tickets before driving to the neighborhood where Taii was shot.

Taii’s girlfriend said she had opened a mailbox but claimed that no other mailboxes were opened by her or others in the vehicle. "At least" one piece of mail from the neighborhood was visible in the SUV, and a deputy found that the mailbox at Wilson’s home on Chasewood Court and others on the street were open, according to court documents.

Taii was being held on $25,000 bail for two counts of second-degree burglary and one count of first-degree theft. He had been accused of stealing from storage units in the summer of 2021, according to court documents.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: South Kitsap man who killed suspected thief claims self-defense