In the late afternoon of October 21, 2021, a friendly gathering in the Salishan neighborhood of Tacoma, Washington, turned into a scene of unimaginable horror. Natasha Marie Tasha Brincefield, a 22-year-old White / Caucasian female, was with her boyfriend, Raymond Williams, also 22, in the backyard of a home on East Everett Street. They were socializing with Raymond's sister, 42-year-old Maria Nunez-Lese, and her 19-year-old son, Emery Lese.
The casual autumn scene was shattered at approximately 4:22 p.m. when a gunman appeared and began shooting.
Witnesses described a chaotic and terrifying sequence of events. The assailant, later identified as 24-year-old Maleke Dominque Pate, opened fire on the group. Some of the victims were inside a car in the alley, while others were standing nearby. One witness saw the gunman shoot Maria as she tried to exit a car and saw Natasha on the ground nearby. Emery Lese was seen running from the alley, but the gunman chased him down and shot him as he lay on the ground with his hands up in a surrender position. When police arrived, they found a tragic scene with multiple victims. Natasha, Maria, and Emery were pronounced dead at the scene from gunshot wounds. Raymond Williams was rushed to a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the quadruple homicide moved swiftly. Tacoma Police Department detectives released a bulletin with images of the suspect captured on surveillance footage. An officer who had previously been a school resource officer recognized the individual in the photos as Maleke Pate. Investigators learned that Pate lived only about half a mile from the scene of the crime. On October 29, 2021, a SWAT team assisted in the arrest of Pate at his Tacoma home. A search of his residence uncovered a 9mm handgun with ammunition that matched the ballistics from the crime scene.
The motive for the horrific attack remained elusive throughout the investigation and trial. Prosecutors and investigators found no evidence that the killings were related to robbery, gangs, or drugs. The only known connection between Pate and the victims was that he had attended fifth grade with one of them. In court, prosecutors would later suggest that Pate, who had frequented a shooting range, wanted to know what it felt like to kill someone. Maleke Pate was charged with four counts of aggravated first-degree murder. In March 2024, a jury found him guilty of all four counts. He was subsequently sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. The senseless loss of Natasha and the other victims left their families and the Tacoma community enveloped in profound grief.
