In the early morning hours of September 4, 2022, the life of 58-year-old Jeaneane Mattis, a Caucasian female, was tragically cut short outside her trailer in Tacoma, Washington. The incident unfolded in the 3700 block of South Cedar Street, behind a community health center, where Mattis resided. What began as a search for another individual escalated into a fatal confrontation that ended her life with a single gunshot wound to the head.
Her death was subsequently ruled a homicide by the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office.
On that fateful morning, two men, later identified as Lashaun Miles and Paul Michael Harrison Snider, arrived at the location. Miles, the driver, was looking for a man known as "Taco" who lived in a nearby trailer. When they were unable to find him, an agitated Snider exited the vehicle and began an argument with Mattis after she repeatedly told them to leave the area. A witness to the event reported that Snider became increasingly agitated, eventually pulling out a gun and holding it to Mattis's head. Despite the imminent danger, Mattis courageously continued to demand that they leave. The verbal altercation culminated in Snider fatally shooting her before fleeing the scene with Miles.
The investigation into Jeaneane Mattis's death led to the swift arrest of Lashaun Miles, who was initially charged with second-degree murder. His role was determined to be that of the driver. The shooter, Paul Michael Harrison Snider, remained at large for a period. He was later charged in connection with Mattis's murder while already being a suspect in a separate double homicide that occurred in November of the same year.
Ultimately, both men were brought to justice for their roles in the death of Jeaneane Mattis. Paul Michael Harrison Snider pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for her death and was also convicted of the other two homicides. He received a sentence of 56 years in prison. Lashaun Danny Miles pleaded guilty to first-degree rendering criminal assistance and was sentenced to time served for the year-and-a-half he spent in jail. The senseless act of violence left a void in the lives of her loved ones, including her husband of ten years, with whom she was planning a future that included being grandparents to her son's children.
