On September 19, 2021, Devon Hill, a 23-year-old Black man, was with two friends at a Circle K gas station in Kent, Washington. They had stopped to buy wrapping papers for marijuana joints when, at approximately 1:18 a.m., their errand was shattered by sudden violence. A man later identified as Joseph Bert Dixon walked up to their Cadillac SUV, opened the rear passenger door, and began shooting into the vehicle without any apparent warning or provocation.
The gunfire erupted at close
range, striking all three men. Devon, who was in the back seat, was shot in the head and died instantly. The 36-year-old driver and a 23-year-old front-seat passenger were also wounded, one with four gunshot wounds and the other shot in the shoulder. As the two injured men scrambled out of the car and collapsed nearby, Dixon got into the driver's seat and sped away with Devon’s body still inside. At about 2:40 a.m., a pedestrian flagged down an officer in the West Hill neighborhood after finding a body lying face down in a gutter. It was Devon Hill. The stolen Cadillac was discovered abandoned a few blocks away.
The investigation quickly led to Dixon, a Renton man with a long criminal history. Detectives found his fingerprint on the exterior of the Cadillac. One of the surviving victims was an acquaintance of Dixon’s. Investigators also learned that Dixon had fled to a motel in Bellingham, where he reportedly bragged about the shooting. A witness told police that Dixon said he needed to shower because he had "blood and brains" on his pants.
On September 27, 2021, a SWAT team located Dixon in a grocery store parking lot in Clearview, Washington. When officers moved in to arrest him, Dixon tried to escape by ramming both police and civilian vehicles. At the time, he had a 4-year-old child in the car with him. Police shot and wounded Dixon before taking him into custody.
Dixon was charged with first-degree murder for the death of Devon Hill, two counts of first-degree assault, and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. In March 2026, a King County jury found him guilty on all counts, including firearm enhancements for the murder and assault charges.
During the sentencing hearing, Devon’s mother, Kristen McEachron, addressed the court. “Devon was an innocent bystander who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time during this tragic event,” she said. “No mother should ever have to stand where I am standing today.” On July 1, 2026, Joseph Dixon was sentenced to 73 years in prison, bringing the case to a close.
