A Black / African American male named Muldhata Dawud, age 20, died on July 30, 2015, in a drive-by shooting in Federal Way, Washington. In the early morning hours, at approximately 1:05 a.m., residents near the 32800 block of First Avenue South reported hearing gunshots. Dawud was in a vehicle with two other young men, aged 18 and 19, when another car pulled alongside theirs and someone inside opened fire.
All three occupants of the targeted vehicle sustained gunshot wounds.
They were transported to St. Francis Hospital in a private vehicle before police arrived at the scene. Muldhata Dawud succumbed to a gunshot wound to the torso, as later determined by the King County Medical Examiner's Office. The two other victims were treated for their injuries and were expected to survive.
Witnesses at the scene described the suspect's vehicle as a red Chevrolet Impala-style car. The shooter was described as an African-American man with a stocky build and dreadlocks. Following an investigation by the Federal Way Police Department, a 21-year-old Tacoma man named Maurice L. Oatts was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting. He was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of first-degree murder and first-degree assault and was held on a $350,000 bail. Detectives conducted search warrants on Oatts's home and vehicle as the investigation continued. At the time of the initial reports following the arrest, the King County Prosecutor's Office had not yet made a final decision on charges.
