Teenager killed in shooting south of Tacoma identified by medical examiner

Peter Talbot
Updated ·2 min read

A 16-year-old boy who was shot and killed last week at a Parkland apartment complex has been identified by the medical examiner.

Isaiah Mullens Jr. of Tacoma died of a gunshot wound to the chest April 5, the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a news release issued Monday. The office ruled his death a homicide.

Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said deputies found Mullens shot that evening in an apartment near the 400 block of 112th Street East after a 911 caller reported a shooting. The apartment complex is about two miles south of Tacoma city limits. Deputies said they tried to resuscitate the teenager until fire department personnel arrived to take him to a hospital, where he died.

So far no arrests have been made in the shooting, which also injured a 20-year-old man. Deputies said he drove himself from the apartment to a hospital, where he was treated for a gunshot wound. According to the Sheriff’s Department, deputies were told shooting broke out after several males had an altercation in the parking lot.

It’s unclear how many people were involved in that dispute or the gunfire that followed. Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Sgt. Darren Moss said Wednesday that detectives are continuing to investigate everyone’s involvement.

Five kids have been killed in Tacoma in 2023. How do we protect youth from violence?

Mullens was the 15th homicide victim in Pierce County this year, and he was the sixth victim under age 18. A 16th homicide was reported Saturday in Parkland. Deputies said a 47-year-old man was found shot in a tent. Of those killings, 10 were recorded in Tacoma, one occurred in Lakewood and five others were in unincorporated Pierce County.

A relative of Mullens started a GoFundMe to raise money for funeral arrangements. The relative, JeVo’n Jones, said he is the teenager’s uncle, and he wrote that Mullens was an amazing kid who loved his family and stood up for what he felt was right.

“When I say my family is extremely devastated I think that goes beyond words,” Jones wrote. “The amount of deaths happening locally and globally with the youth is getting out of hand.”