On a summer morning in 2020, the life of 32-year-old Tupo Fuaau, a male, came to a violent end in the parking lot of a motel in Fife, Washington. The events of August 2nd began to unfold around 9 a.m. at the Roadway Inn on Pacific Highway East. Police were called to the scene to find a Chrysler that had crashed into one of the motel rooms. Inside the vehicle, in the driver's seat, was Fuaau, who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
He was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into Fuaau's death revealed a confrontation that had started earlier that morning. According to court records, Fuaau had been searching for a woman who he claimed had robbed him the week before. In his search, he kicked in the doors of at least two motel rooms. One of those rooms was occupied by 29-year-old Tamau Tauala. A woman in the room with Tauala told investigators that Fuaau was armed with a gun when he entered their room. A physical struggle over the weapon ensued, during which Tauala was able to take the gun from Fuaau.
Sometime after the initial altercation, Fuaau returned to the motel parking lot in his Chrysler. Surveillance footage captured Tauala standing outside his room as Fuaau's car pulled up. Tauala was seen firing at the vehicle. The Chrysler then reversed in a semi-circle before crashing into the motel building. An autopsy later confirmed Fuaau had been shot in the head and the left thigh. Witnesses reported seeing a passenger flee from Fuaau's car after the shooting, fearing for their own safety.
Following the shooting, surveillance video showed Tauala, along with two women, quickly leaving the motel. He was seen dropping a jacket as a police car passed by and then getting a ride from someone at a nearby gas station. Tauala was arrested more than a week later after detectives located him during surveillance of a residence in Tacoma. He reportedly told officers that he had given the gun used in the shooting to the individual who drove him from the scene.
Tamau Tauala was initially charged with second-degree murder for the death of Tupo Fuaau. At trial, Tauala claimed he acted in self-defense, testifying that he believed Fuaau was going to run him and another woman over with his car. Prosecutors argued that evidence suggested Fuaau was unarmed when he returned to the motel. In May 2022, a jury convicted Tauala of first-degree manslaughter. He was subsequently sentenced to eleven and a half years in prison.
