On the evening of May 18, 2024, 50-year-old BillyJo Perkins was walking her dog at the Ballinger Homes apartment complex in Shoreline, Washington, when she witnessed a teen pointing a handgun at a young woman’s head. According to court documents, Perkins stepped in to intervene and was shot three times at extremely close range; she died at the scene near the management office building.

A nearby teenage male identified as X.A. was also struck by gunfire and suffered an abdominal wound but survived after seeking treatment at a hospital. Investigators were called around 10 p.m., and early the next morning a resident identified as 16-year-old Jaden Pierre Taylor arrived at a different hospital with a gunshot wound to his foot. A subsequent search of Taylor’s home turned up ammunition and firearm parts; the firearm used in the shooting was not recovered.

Prosecutors later arrested Taylor and charged him as an adult with second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and unlawful possession of a firearm, citing surveillance footage and his juvenile record. Who knew BillyJo, or who saw anything that night at Ballinger Homes?