In the early morning hours of November 21, 2024, the life of 21-year-old Khamal J. Blissitt of SeaTac, a Black / African American male, was cut short in a burst of gunfire on the West Hill of Kent, Washington. Blissitt was behind the wheel of his 2010 Lexus, waiting at a red light at the intersection of Veterans Drive and Military Road South, when a figure approached his vehicle.
Without warning, multiple shots were fired through the passenger's side window.
Despite being gravely wounded by multiple gunshots, Blissitt managed to make a northbound turn onto Military Road South. His car, however, soon veered off the road, striking light poles before coming to a final stop in the 23000 block of the street. Kent Police officers were initially dispatched to what was reported as a vehicle collision at approximately 1:06 a.m., but the call was updated en route with information that shots may have been fired into the vehicle. Arriving at the scene, they found Blissitt alone in his car, unresponsive with significant injuries to his head and neck. Officers and arriving fire personnel attempted life-saving measures, but their efforts were in vain; Khamal J. Blissitt was pronounced dead at the scene. The King County Medical Examiner's Office would later confirm that his death was a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation into Blissitt's murder led Kent Police to identify a suspect, Prince J. Mayamba, who was 16 years old at the time of the shooting. Detectives utilized a combination of witness information and surveillance footage from nearby apartment complexes and businesses to piece together the events of that tragic night. The evidence suggested that the shooting was not a random act of violence, as it was discovered that Mayamba and Blissitt had met at least twice in the hours leading up to the incident.
An arrest warrant for Mayamba was issued on January 15, 2025. He was taken into custody on February 8, 2025, after Tacoma Police were alerted that he had been dropped off at a local hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg. Following his medical treatment, he was arrested by Kent Police. Despite his age, prosecutors charged Prince J. Mayamba as an adult with first-degree murder and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. At the time of the shooting, Mayamba was reportedly on conditional release for a pending firearm charge. He has since pleaded not guilty to the murder of Khamal J. Blissitt, and his bail was set at $3 million.
