Victim in Bellevue nightclub shooting was a 'beacon of positivity'

BY Brandi Kruse  on December 26, 2012 @ 3:38 pm (Updated: 5:37 am - 12/27/12 )

DeShawn-DMill-Milliken.jpg
A felony arrest warrant was issued late Monday for 19-year-old Ja'mari Alexander-Alan Jones, who is suspected of shooting and killing 30-year-old DeShawn Milliken (pictured) at Munchbar in Bellevue on Monday. (Image courtesy Bellevue Police) | Zoom
The victim in a Christmas Eve shooting at a Bellevue nightclub has been identified as 30-year-old DeShawn "D.Mill" Milliken of Seattle.

According to the King County Medical Examiner's Office, Milliken died of multiple gunshot wounds.

At approximately 1:10 a.m. Monday, police officers responded to reports of shots fired inside Munchbar, which is located at 505 Bellevue Way. More than 600 people were inside the club, which is connected to Bellevue Square, an upscale shopping center 10 miles east of Seattle.

Milliken was pronounced dead at the scene. Another man was rushed to Overlake Medical Center, where he was treated for a gunshot wound to the hand, a hospital spokesperson said.

In a blog post the day of the murder, a friend of Milliken's posted this message:

You were Loved by many and it's hurtful that someone took your life on Christmas Eve. I pray for Everlasting Healing to your family Today, Tomorrow and Future Holidays to come when you will be missed. I pray for strength for everyone who loved you to know that You made a Big Impact while you were on Earth as If you were in Heaven and not to feel a deep loss. You came and did exactly what you were meant to do. I am happy that our lives crossed paths my younger Brother. I will hold on to your kind words whenever we talked and know that you truly had a Kind heart.

A post on the online fundraising site YouCaring.com referred to Milliken as a "father, brother, son, uncle, grandson, friend, provider, protector and role model to many."

A beacon of positivity, Deshawn touched many lives. For instance, he adopted a daughter, fed the less fortunate, and took care of numerous at-risk youths in the central district area that lacked father figures. He was the type of person that would you give you his car while he rode the bus. He was extremely caring, loving, protecting, and always willing to lend a helping hand.

A felony arrest warrant was issued late Monday for the suspected shooter, 19-year-old Ja'mari Alexander-Alan Jones, who remains at large.

He could be driving a white Nissan Maxima with Washington license plate #AHZ1672. Police consider him armed and dangerous.

Jones was one of three teens who police say was responsible for the beating death of the "Tuba Man," a beloved Seattle street musician. Ed McMichael, known for playing his tuba outside Seattle sporting events, was beaten and robbed at a bus stop near Seattle Center in October 2008. He died as a result of his injuries.

While a motive for the shooting has not been released, Bellevue Police spokeswoman Carla Iafrate said there were several physical altercations in the bar prior to the murder. She said police respond to fights at Munchbar every weekend and officers frequently patrol the area.

A spokesperson for the Washington State Liquor Control Board said Wednesday that they will look into possible enforcement actions against Munchbar after the Bellevue Police Department conducts their investigation.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Bellevue PD tip line at 425-452-2564 or email pdtipline@bellevuewa.gov. If you have information on the whereabouts of Jones, you are asked to call 911 immediately. The public should not attempt to contact him.

Brandi Kruse, KIRO Radio Reporter
Brandi Kruse is a reporter for KIRO Radio who is as spontaneous and adventurous in her free time as she is on the job. Brandi arrived at KIRO Radio in March 2011 and has already collected three regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her reporting.
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Comments (64)


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  • soo purletiv wrote...
    @ LyfeStiles
    December 27, 2012 3:02 pm
    "...This young man took on the taunting task of adopting a child in need. He helped feed the hungry and was known as a role model in his community to at-risk youths...."

    The Mafia also build parks for neighborhood kids and give money to the Catholic Church, and all kinds of other "kind" things...

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • S Y wrote...
    My Opinion And Everyone
    December 27, 2012 3:06 pm
    Calm down and PLEASE reread your posts. Your spelling and grammar are almost as bad as KIRO's. I made out most of your post myopinion but what is I HAVE CAN'T,ILK,LIFES?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • shark75 wrote...
    Myopinion wrote...
    December 27, 2012 3:06 pm
    Dude, you sound like an eff'ing retard. Turn your caps lock off...is this your first time using a computer? BigBlackGuy, you seem like a decent guy. When a person (lib) labels something as "racist", that means that they are too stupid to argue their point, or they dont have a point. I'm merely pointing out the obvious, if you dont like it fine, explain to me why I'm wrong. Please provide me with a demographics breakdown of the average Seattle/Bellevue gang. I dont need one, I can see with my two eyes when I see a gang thug and what HE looks like (I guess I'm being sexist now too). Sorry if that offends you. It'd be nice if liberals weren't allergic to reality.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • seattleJohn wrote...
    It's not a racial issue...
    December 27, 2012 3:14 pm
    It's socio-economic. It's also a failure of the criminal justice system to let a repeat murder free in our society.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • seattleJohn wrote...
    And...
    December 27, 2012 3:21 pm
    These racist comments posted here are a reminder if this and will only act to fan the flames.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • soo purletiv wrote...
    Anyone here ever been to
    December 27, 2012 3:51 pm
    or remember Tommy Africa's?

    It was a fun, low key place to meet outside of Bothell to play pool, drink beer, listen to music, dance and mingle.

    And then it happened!!!

    They started having Hip Hop dances weekly. To be sure, I happen to listen to SOME music from this genre. I don't blame the music, as much as I blame the crowd for their behavior. The joint soon got shut down because management refused to patrol their patrons which were causing havoc in the area. They were warned numerous times and yet ignored such warnings.

    It is now a day care center. (I know, right!)

    This crowd ruined a good thing for the rest of us. I can remember the first Sunday night they had the dance there, the place started getting fuller than usual and loud for a Sunday night. I had no idea, at the time, what was going on.

    They did not have even close to adequate parking for this gathering. People were parking on the other side of the highway and walking across it to get to the venue with near misses. This was a 5 lane highway and poorly lit at the time.

    Using the restroom was a challenge upstairs since the "patrons" filled the floor and I literally had to push my way through to get to it. No other crowd at that place had ever been so rude. I got called a lot of names, and yet I always said excuse me, but they just would not move and acted like I was not welcome at their party. So after saying excuse me, if they didn't move I helped them see the wisdom of letting me by. I just wanted to take a whiz, but it became a stare fest, name exchange and shoulder bumping contest.

    Hmmm: The good ole days... ;-)

    No music genre is bad in and of itself. I listen to some Hip Hop and I don't want to kill anyone... most of the time. But there is a sub-culture, if you will, and a following that just has an attitude of superiority and chip on their shoulder towards those not of their ilk. As well as between themselves. And they insist on causing problems for everyone and "proving" their superiority.

    I hope they catch this poor young man that did the shooting and he gets the needed help to over come his insatiable need to beat and kill others... (that of course was sarcasm, in case the haters missed it.)

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • jstumbo wrote...
    Used to frequent a hip hop bar when I lived in Thailand...
    December 27, 2012 4:18 pm
    Don't remember any shooting there. Of course it was the same kind of people you would get at any bar there, not a sub culture that was prone to violence.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • shark75 wrote...
    Thank you seattleJohn for diverting the blame and turning these people into victims
    December 27, 2012 3:53 pm
    It’s never their own fault is it? It’s always because they are victims of society or it’s a socio-economic problem. I guess you and I disagree as to which came first, the chicken or the egg. I’m done giving passes to murderers and thugs and gangsters and feeling bad for them because maybe they didn’t have a daddy. I couldn’t care less. And as for your “racist comments fanning the flames”…who the heck are you? Are you suggesting that maybe I don’t have freedom to say what’s on my mind becuase it might make someone angry? Perhaps you are suggesting that you’ll understand if they riot and burn down the city just because somebody pointed out the obvious on mynw.com…
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • seattleJohn wrote...
    You
    December 27, 2012 4:57 pm
    Are the problem. If you believe that what you are saying is true then the only solution is genicide. Hitler already tried that and many other grossly insane minds like yours.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • soo purletiv wrote...
    @ seattleJohn
    December 27, 2012 4:06 pm
    "...These racist comments posted here are a reminder..."

    These comments here are not racist.

    They are socio-economic...

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • seattleJohn wrote...
    Ignorance...
    December 27, 2012 4:48 pm
    Is bliss
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • soo purletiv wrote...
    For the record:
    December 27, 2012 4:17 pm
    "myopinion" is not a dude as some suggest.

    He, ahem she, is a dudette.

    And yes, she does YELL AT US IN MOST OF HER COMMENTS. AND YES, HER SPELLING AND GRAMMAR ARE USUALLY QUITE ATROCIOUS AND HARD TO INTERPRET AND MAKE SENSE OF. BUT AT LEAST SHE GETS HEARD!

    LOL!!

    And to give credit where credit is due: She did get "ILK" right. But I have to ask: What are "BLAK PEOPLE"? And what in the world are "DEPRAVIED LIFES"?

    Just saying/asking...

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • dexterjibs wrote...
    When you hang out in the toilet of life
    December 27, 2012 7:41 pm
    You are going to bump into alot of turds. A "beacon of positivity" that was also a gang banger. What is scary is that he was allowed to adopt a little child despite his violent history.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }