In the late morning hours of October 10, 2025, in a homeless encampment situated behind a home-improvement store in the 2700 block of South Orchard Street in Tacoma, Washington, 43-year-old Dominic Mayhugh was found dead. An investigation by the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office would later confirm that he died from two gunshot wounds to the head, and his death was ruled a homicide. Tacoma Police were dispatched to the scene at approximately 12:07 p.m.
after receiving a 911 call reporting the killing.
The investigation into Mayhugh's death initially led to the arrest of 38-year-old Joshua Joseph Bishop. Surveillance footage from the area showed a man, later identified as Bishop, walking away from the encampment around 11:17 a.m., shortly before gunshots were heard by a nearby store employee at about 11:18 a.m. During questioning, Bishop admitted to being in a fistfight with Mayhugh, stating that he had knocked him unconscious. Bishop claimed he fled the scene because he was afraid Mayhugh, who he alleged was armed with two pistols, would shoot him upon regaining consciousness. However, he denied hearing any gunshots.
The case took a significant turn when another man, 49-year-old Ryan Anthony Jacobsen, came forward and confessed to the homicide, leading to the dismissal of charges against Bishop. Jacobsen was subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. According to Jacobsen's account to detectives, he was present during the fight between Bishop and Mayhugh. He claimed that after Bishop knocked Mayhugh unconscious, he took Mayhugh's two pistols and shot him twice. Jacobsen alleged that he acted out of fear, stating that Mayhugh had threatened his life on multiple occasions and that he was afraid Mayhugh would kill him or someone else at the encampment. A plea of not guilty was entered on Jacobsen's behalf, and his bail was set at $1 million.
