In the early morning hours of April 12, 2026, 36-year-old Tyriek Assante Patterson was shot and killed inside a townhome in Puyallup, Washington. Patterson, a Black man and father of two young sons who was described as the sole provider for his family, and a friend had arrived at the residence to surprise Patterson’s girlfriend for her birthday. They found 24-year-old Moses Levin Karovsky inside, and a confrontation followed that moved upstairs.

Karovsky locked himself inside a bathroom and, while Patterson pushed at the door, fired multiple shots that struck Patterson in the torso, chest, and leg; Patterson later died of his injuries. Patterson’s friend was grazed. A neighbor called deputies after hearing yelling and loud banging; Karovsky fled in a car before deputies arrived. The gun has not been recovered. A few days later Karovsky turned himself in, was booked into the Pierce County Jail, and prosecutors charged him with two counts of second-degree murder. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf; his attorney described the shooting as self-defense during a violent home invasion, while prosecutors noted Karovsky fled and alleged he may have collected spent shell casings. Bail was set at $500,000.

Are there witnesses or local residents who can provide more detail about what happened that morning?