On a warm summer evening, what began as a joyous celebration of two birthdays at the Central Avenue Pub in Kent, Washington, turned into a scene of tragedy, claiming the life of 29-year-old Bobby E. Rodgers, a Black/African American male. On July 2, 2022, a large party, promoted on social media, drew a substantial crowd to the pub. Rodgers, a close friend of the owner and a regular patron, was among the thousands invited to the festivities that had started the previous day.
As the night
deepened and the pub and its parking lots swelled with people, tensions escalated. Shortly before 2 a.m., a fight broke out in the parking lot. In the midst of this altercation, Rodgers was seen running out of the pub's emergency exit towards the confrontation. It was then that a silver Honda CRV reportedly approached, and a man inside opened fire into the crowd of people gathered outside. Rodgers was struck in the head by the gunfire. Paramedics arrived to a chaotic scene, with people fleeing on foot and in cars, and transported him to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he succumbed to his injuries. Another man was also struck by a stray bullet in the shoulder but survived.
The investigation into the shooting led police to 19-year-old Rogelle M. Harris of Seattle. Multiple video cameras reportedly captured Harris firing a. 45 caliber handgun numerous times from the vehicle. Authorities later found seven spent. 45 caliber casings at the scene. Harris was arrested by Seattle Police on August 16, 2022, in connection with a separate incident involving the armed robbery of seven people. While in custody for the robbery charges, he was charged with the murder of Bobby Rodgers.
Prosecutors charged Harris with first-degree murder and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, citing his previous convictions for second-degree assault and a drive-by shooting in 2020, which made it illegal for him to have a gun. In the charging documents, the prosecutor noted the extreme indifference to human life demonstrated by firing into a crowd. Harris was held without bail at the King County Correctional Facility, facing a potential life sentence. His arraignment was scheduled for September 8, 2022.
