Man found guilty of murder in 2019 drive-by shooting on SR 509 near South Park
May 8, 2023, 6:48 AM
(Photo from KIRO 7)
(Photo from KIRO 7)
Washington State Patrol announced Sunday that a guilty verdict was reached in the fatal 2019 drive-by shooting on State Route 509 near Seattle’s South Park neighborhood.
The shooting killed 20-year-old James Andrew Richardson III, an up-and-coming rapper who went by the name “Tanaa Money.”
On Friday, 23-year-old Emilio Pay-Pay of Tacoma was found guilty of first-degree murder.
Ali Sharif, 21, of Seattle, pleaded guilty last month to first-degree manslaughter, WSP said.
Aden Mohamed, 28, of Seattle, is currently in custody in Turkey awaiting extradition to the United States to face murder charges.
The three men were charged with first-degree murder and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm in September 2021.
The deadly shooting happened on the night of Dec. 29, 2019. Troopers said someone in a car fired into the victim’s car, which had two men inside and was in the HOV lane.
The driver, identified as Richardson, was shot in the face, causing the car to hit the Jersey barrier on the left shoulder. The passenger was not hurt.
Troopers said Richardson was treated at the scene and then taken to Harborview Medical Center. He was taken off life support the next morning.
Court documents state the defendants “engaged in extremely dangerous and lethal behavior that further enflamed a dispute that apparently erupted over the filming of a video.” The three men are known to be a part of the Holly Park street gang, according to documents.
Pay-Pay was identified as the driver of the vehicle, and Mohamed and Sharif were the ones who fired the rounds out of the car, court records state.
Guilty verdict in 2019 Drive By shooting on SR 509! pic.twitter.com/IYWkmaZxJG
— Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) May 7, 2023
