On a tragic early morning in Tacoma, Washington, on March 20, 2015, the life of 27-year-old Brandon Williams was cut short in a senseless act of violence. The male victim from Puyallup was with three female friends, leaving the Emerald Queen Casino shortly before 1 a.m. As he was attempting to back his car out of a parking spot, another vehicle deliberately blocked his path.
This aggressive maneuver would prove to be the catalyst for a fatal encounter that would leave a community in shock and a family grieving an immeasurable loss.
The driver of the other vehicle, Jeremy Schlenker, was behaving erratically and had already been seen cruising the parking lot and even firing his gun into the air without causing injury. When Williams got out of his car to ask Schlenker to move, Schlenker confronted him. According to friends of Williams, he was attempting to de-escalate the situation and protect his female companions, questioning why Schlenker was waving a gun at them. The situation quickly escalated, with Schlenker pistol-whipping Williams before fatally shooting him. In the wake of the shooting, Schlenker fled the scene, leaving Williams's friends to grapple with the horrific event they had just witnessed. They would later describe Williams as a hero who sacrificed himself to save them.
The investigation, a joint effort by the Puyallup Tribe and the FBI due to the incident occurring on tribal land, moved swiftly. Casino surveillance footage helped to identify Schlenker and his vehicle. Later that same day, Oregon State Police apprehended the 27-year-old suspect as he was driving south on Interstate 5 near Salem. A female passenger was also taken into custody, and a weapon was discovered in the car.
Jeremy Schlenker, a member of the Crow Indian Tribe of Montana, was brought back to Tacoma to face charges. In court, it was revealed that he had consumed a significant amount of alcohol on the night of the murder. His defense attorney argued that he suffered from paranoia and believed he was in danger. However, prosecutors pointed to a pattern of escalating violence. Schlenker ultimately pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in a violent crime. He was sentenced to 26 years in prison for the unprovoked killing of Brandon Williams, a man who was remembered by his mother as a protector of everyone he knew.
