Josiah Midgyett was a 16-year-old boy with a warm, loving personality who made people feel welcome and cared for. His family remembers him as a funny young man who had a special way of making people smile whenever he was around. Josiah, a male, was known for his beautiful heart and for checking on people to make sure they were okay. He enjoyed football and basketball and played the saxophone. His mother, Ebony Tucker, described him as a “good kid” who “touched a lot of hearts.”
His brother, Ajani Tucker, called him his “best man” who helped him through thick and thin. His cousin, Kardee-A Rankins, recalled how Josiah would always lift his spirits when he was feeling down.
In the early morning hours of Sunday, October 18, 2026, Josiah’s life was cut short. He was part of a group that had gathered on an upper level of a parking garage at 1100 Commerce Street in downtown Tacoma, Washington. According to a friend, Josiah had received a text from a girl about a "meet up" at the location. Around 2:23 a.m., as many as five masked individuals arrived at the garage and opened fire on the group. Witnesses said the attackers were armed with multiple firearms, including an AK-47-style handgun. Josiah was shot in the chest as he tried to get into a vehicle with a friend. First responders arrived and performed lifesaving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Tacoma Police Department launched an investigation into the deadly ambush. Detectives used witness statements and surveillance video from the garage to identify the people they believed were responsible. Prosecutors later alleged the shooting was a retaliatory attack. The night before Josiah was killed, one of the suspects, 18-year-old Jose Campos, had been shot in the hand. Investigators believe the subsequent shooting at the parking garage was a planned act of revenge, though they have not established any connection between Josiah and the prior incident. His mother insisted her son was not involved in gangs and was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Within days, police made several arrests. Jose Campos, his 20-year-old brother Davion Campos, and Davion's 19-year-old wife, Alina Guillen, were arrested and charged. Jose Campos was charged with first-degree murder, nine counts of assault, and firearms charges. Davion Campos faced charges of first-degree murder, assault, and unlawful possession of a firearm. Alina Guillen was charged with murder and assault, with prosecutors alleging she drove the suspects to and from the garage. A fourth suspect, a teenage boy, was arrested on October 21 and booked into the Remann Hall juvenile detention center on suspicion of first-degree murder.
At their arraignment, not guilty pleas were entered on behalf of all three adult suspects. During the emotional court hearing, Josiah’s mother pleaded with the judge to deny them bail. Prosecutors pointed to Jose Campos’ bandaged hand as evidence of the retaliatory motive. The judge set bail at $5 million for each of the Campos brothers and $1.5 million for Guillen. As Jose Campos was led out of the courtroom, he blew a kiss to the gallery where Josiah's grieving mother was watching.
In the week following the shooting, family and friends gathered at the parking garage for a vigil to remember Josiah. They brought balloons, flowers, and candles to honor the kind and loving soul they had lost. "We all loved him dearly," his little sister, Ajania Tucker, said. "We all wish that he was right here to hug us all. But he can’t." His mother expressed her devastation, saying, "What happened to him... was not supposed to happen. It’s a tragedy... he did not deserve this." A fundraiser was created to help the family with funeral and memorial expenses as they navigated their profound loss.
As of late October 2026, the three adult suspects remained in custody on high bail, and the juvenile suspect was in detention. The case was proceeding through the court system. Josiah’s family continues to seek justice, remembering him not for the violent circumstances of his death, but for the love and laughter he brought into their lives. "His life mattered. His future mattered. His kindness mattered," his family wrote. "And his memory will always matter."
