Federal Way man found guilty of double murder
The deaths occurred during a dispute over the gang “Down with the Crew.”
Tayjuan Fletcher of Federal Way was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder while in possession of a firearm for a murder committed at the Safeway at 9262 Rainier Avenue South in Seattle on May 23, 2020, when he was 18 years old.
According to King County Superior Court documents, the jury in Fletcher’s trial began deliberations on August 6 and reached a verdict on August 12. Fletcher, now 22, will be sentenced on November 1, 2024.
According to court documents, a witness entered the parking lot and began talking with a group of friends, including an older man in his 30s or 40s who was sitting in a Chevrolet Tahoe. The witness said that during the conversation, Fletcher joined the group, and when he joined them, she noticed a firearm with an extended magazine dangling from his waistband.
The witness added that Fletcher described his gun as a “30-round magazine.” The witness said Fletcher then began arguing with the man in the Tahoe, cursing at him and challenging him to a fight.
Charging documents say Fletcher argued with the man and told him he was born into the Down with the Crew gang and was not sworn into the gang because he claimed his father started the Down with the Crew gang. The witness said the older man in the Tahoe laughed at Fletcher, which apparently made Fletcher even angrier.
After hearing the older man laugh, the witness said Fletcher pulled out his gun and began firing backwards at the man. The witness said she saw her friend get shot and fall to the ground, and saw another man get shot and fall to the ground.
She said the older man in the Tahoe was unharmed and then drove away. The witness said Fletcher ran away toward the gas pumps after the shooting.
Another witness who was working in the area and was leaving work said she heard two pops and saw Fletcher walking backwards. She said she heard about ten pops in total.
Officers who arrived at the scene found a man named Christopher D. Roberts dead from gunshot wounds. A second victim, Christopher Wilson, was taken to Harborview Medical Center where he later succumbed to his injuries. Twelve .45 caliber shell casings were found at the scene.
The witness later identified Fletcher from a photo montage and said she was 110% sure he was the shooter. Other witnesses also named Fletcher as the shooter, and Fletcher had sent a message to a friend of Wilson – one of the victims – on his Facebook account saying that the bangs heard were not fireworks.
The friend also told Fletcher that he “killed the buddies,” to which Fletcher replied, “That’s no disrespect to my father.” The friend responded by telling Fletcher that he fired over 25 shots but missed the man he was arguing with.
Fletcher was subsequently arrested in SeaTac on June 7, 2020, while sitting in the back seat of a vehicle with which he was known to be associated. A .45 caliber firearm with an extended magazine was located in the back seat in front of Fletcher. A .45 caliber bullet was also found in Fletcher’s pocket.
According to the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention website, Fletcher is currently in the King County Correctional Facility.
