Jamhal Keat, a 27-year-old Black male, tragically lost his life on the night of August 12, 2017, in Seattle, Washington. The evening unfolded at a Shell gas station in the 800 block of Rainier Avenue South, where Keat and an acquaintance, Tramaine Claiborne, were seen arguing for about thirty minutes. Both men appeared to be intoxicated. The argument escalated, and at one point, Claiborne was seen loading a magazine into a handgun.
The two men moved a Nissan Versa they had arrived in
closer to a neighboring dry cleaner. Witnesses reported seeing Claiborne point the gun at Keat. As Keat turned to run, Claiborne allegedly shot him in the back. After Keat fell to the ground, witnesses claimed Claiborne stood over him and fired multiple additional shots. Medics arrived and transported Keat to Harborview Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy later revealed he had been shot at least five times, with two of the wounds being to his back.
Responding officers found a man matching the shooter's description, later identified as 27-year-old Tramaine Claiborne, in a nearby alley. He was carrying a child's car seat. Witnesses identified Claiborne as the shooter. A neighbor also reported seeing the shooter discard something in the same alley, where police later discovered a 9mm semi-automatic handgun.
Tramaine Claiborne, who was described as a childhood friend of Jamhal Keat, was arrested and subsequently charged with second-degree murder. Claiborne initially claimed he knew nothing about the shooting, but later admitted to shooting Keat, asserting it was in self-defense. He was held on $2 million bail. Court records show that the state later offered Claiborne a plea deal for second-degree murder, which he initially considered but then rejected, opting to go to trial. Subsequently, the prosecution amended the charges to include first-degree murder.
