In the early morning hours of September 10, 2023, Joseph Briggs, a 39-year-old Black/African American man, found himself in a fatal confrontation in Tacoma, Washington. The incident unfolded around 2 a.m. in a parking lot in the 5200 block of South Tacoma Way, outside the Night Owl Lounge. Briggs, a martial artist and an off-duty security guard for the lounge, witnessed a group of men assaulting at least one woman and chose to intervene.
His act of heroism placed him directly in the path of danger.
As Briggs came to the aid of the women, a physical altercation began between him and one of the assailants. During the struggle, the man he was fighting with pulled out a gun and shot Briggs multiple times in the chest. The suspects fled the scene, leaving Briggs critically wounded in the parking lot. When police officers arrived, they found a witness attempting to apply pressure to his wounds, but the efforts to save his life were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The investigation into the shooting led Tacoma police to identify a suspect. Nearly a month later, on October 4, 2023, authorities arrested 33-year-old Keenan David Blakely in connection with the murder. Blakely was subsequently charged with two counts of second-degree murder, second-degree assault, and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. Court documents indicate that Blakely, along with a second man who was also charged, pleaded not guilty. A witness reportedly identified Blakely as the shooter, stating that he fired the gun while Briggs had him in a headlock.
In the wake of his death, Joseph Briggs, a father of two, was remembered by the local martial arts community as a hero who died protecting others. His estate later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the lounge, the property owners, and the security company, claiming they were negligent and failed to provide adequate security, despite a known history of violence at the location.
