On the evening of April 27, 2023, a fatal encounter in the parking lot of a Kent, Washington, apartment complex brought a tragic end to the life of 26-year-old Jimmy R. Joe. A male, Joe was pronounced dead at the scene from a single gunshot wound to the chest, an event later ruled a homicide by the King County Medical Examiner's Office. Kent Police were called to the Dockside Apartments in the 23200 block of 61st Avenue South around 6:34 p.m.
after a 911 caller reported hearing a gunshot and seeing a person lying in the parking lot.
The investigation into the shooting revealed a history of conflict between Joe and the man who would later be charged with his murder, Johnston J Fernandez-Edwin. The two had previously been roommates, but their relationship soured over accusations of theft and the fact they had both been involved with the same woman, sparking an 18-month feud. On the day of the shooting, the simmering animosity boiled over. Fernandez-Edwin, accompanied by his brother, was driving when he spotted Joe in another vehicle. A hand gesture from Joe, shaped like a gun, allegedly enraged Fernandez-Edwin, who then made a U-turn and followed Joe to his apartment building.
At the Dockside Apartments, the confrontation escalated. Surveillance footage and witness accounts showed that after parking, Joe exited his vehicle holding a baseball bat and approached Fernandez-Edwin's car. An argument ensued through the open driver's side window. It was then that Fernandez-Edwin grabbed a pistol from under his seat and fired a single shot, striking Joe. Fernandez-Edwin immediately fled the scene in his vehicle.
Kent Police detectives used video surveillance and witness interviews, including one with the suspect's brother, to identify Johnston J Fernandez-Edwin as the shooter. He was located and arrested on May 2, 2023. In his statement to detectives, Fernandez-Edwin admitted to the shooting. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on May 8, 2025. On June 6, 2025, a King County Superior Court judge sentenced Fernandez-Edwin to ten years and three months in prison for the killing.
