A man died on Oct. 30 as a result of a shooting on Coal Creek Parkway and Newcastle Way.
King County Sheriff’s Office deputies discovered 26-year-old Tyair M. Stump lying on the ground outside of the Newcastle Library, located in the 12900 block of Newcastle Way Southeast, with a gunshot wound to his chest, according to court documents.
Law enforcement have arrested 23-year-old Bryanna Bernandez for Stump’s shooting death, stating findings of probable cause that Bernandez committed Stump’s murder with premeditated intent.
A King County Superior Court judge found probable cause for murder in the first degree at Bernandez’s first appearance hearing on Oct. 31.
King County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched at 2:27 a.m. Oct. 30 after receiving multiple 911 calls reporting gunshots heard in the area of Southeast Newcastle Way and Coal Creek Parkway Southeast in Newcastle, according to court documents.
Bernandez, standing on the roadway approximately 30 feet from the scene, identified herself to police and stated she shot her boyfriend after he assaulted her, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Police arrested her without incident.
First responders arrived and provided medical treatment to Stump, later pronouncing him deceased at the scene.
At the scene, investigators discovered two firearms — one in Bernandez’s purse found in the area and one in Bernandez’s vehicle — and five fired 9mm casings, according to the affidavit.
Surveillance footage of the incident showed a physical confrontation that resulted within Bernandez’s vehicle prior to the shooting.
According to the affidavit, in interviews conducted with Bernandez, Bernandez stated Stump had punched her in the face several times and used his handgun to strike her numerous times on the side of the head, resulting in severe pain.
She stated in an interview that she managed to exit the vehicle and retrieve her personal handgun from the trunk as Stump stood outside the vehicle, and she shot at him “once or twice.” She left the area in her vehicle, returning approximately one minute later where she observed police arriving, according to the affidavit.
Surveillance footage of the incident showed Stump exiting and standing outside the vehicle after the physical confrontation when Bernandez aimed her firearm at Stump and fired twice, according to the affidavit. After falling to the ground and rolling from the vehicle, Stump attempted to stand up and run as Bernandez fired three additional shots at him.
Surveillance footage showed Bernandez had stepped into her vehicle and left the parking lot, returning approximately 10 minutes later and parking 40 feet from Stump. She exited and walked around her vehicle slowly prior to stepping back into her vehicle and slowly driving on the roadway, arriving at a stop within 20 feet of Stump, exiting a second time, and approaching him, according to the affidavit.
Bernandez never attempted to call 911 in the 20 minutes between the shooting and arrival of police, according to the affidavit.
King County prosecutors asked the court to hold Bernandez at her first appearance hearing, with a second court date scheduled for Nov. 1, serving as the deadline for prosecutors to file charges.
