An evening that began with a verbal disagreement inside the Meeker Street Bar & Grill in Kent, Washington, on May 2, 2024, tragically ended the life of 30-year-old Roderick Loi Belford, a Black/African American male from Federal Way. The initial dispute between Belford and 25-year-old Daniel Suesue of Spanaway spilled out into the parking lot, escalating into a physical fight.
After this confrontation, both men returned inside the establishment.
Shortly before 11:00 PM, Kent Police received calls reporting the fight. As a witness was on the phone with 911 dispatch, the sound of gunshots erupted in the background. Subsequent calls reported that a man had been shot and was not breathing. When officers arrived at the scene, they found Belford inside the bar with multiple gunshot wounds. Despite immediate medical aid administered by police and firefighters, he succumbed to his injuries. It was later determined he had been shot eight times, with two of the wounds to his head.
Daniel Suesue was identified as the shooter and was taken into custody at the scene without incident. He was found in possession of a Springfield XD 9mm pistol. Suesue cooperated with authorities and admitted to the shooting. Investigators recovered a second handgun inside the bar, though reports are conflicting as to whether Belford was armed. Some witnesses claimed to have seen Belford with a gun outside before the shooting, but surveillance footage from inside the bar reportedly showed that he was not holding or displaying a weapon at the time Suesue shot him at close range. The video evidence allegedly shows Belford's left hand remained in his jacket pocket leading up to the incident.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office has since filed second-degree murder charges against Daniel Suesue. He was booked into the King County Jail with bail set at $1 million. The investigation continues as authorities work to piece together the full sequence of events that led to the fatal encounter.
