Man accused of shooting 3 people outside Capitol Hill nightclub pleads not guilty
Jun 1, 2026, 5:39 PM
A screenshot of a video of the shooting in Capitol Hill. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
A Tacoma man accused of shooting three people outside a Capitol Hill nightclub last month pleaded not guilty in King County Superior Court on Monday.
Ja’Mari McQueen, 18, got into an argument with another man outside the Cultura nightclub on East Pike Street shortly after 1 a.m. on May 18, according to charging documents.
Prosecutors said the confrontation escalated, and McQueen pulled out a gun and opened fire.
The man McQueen was allegedly arguing with was shot, and two bystanders, not believed to be involved in the dispute, were also hit, according to prosecutors. All three victims survived.
“What’s concerning is that he not only hit the person he had the altercation with, but also two bystanders were hit by gunfire,” Casey McNerthney, a spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, said after McQueen was charged.
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McQueen is charged with three counts of first-degree assault. He is being held in the King County Jail on $1.5 million bail, according to the attorney’s office.
“The high bail reflects the extremely serious conduct and risk to public safety this defendant represents in terms of being an extraordinary danger to the public,” Douglas Wagoner, a spokesperson for the attorney’s office, said.
The trial is expected to get underway late next month.
A video of the shooting can be viewed on KIRO 7.
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