Virgil Ray Stebbins, 64, of Auburn, Washington, was killed on February 19, 2024, in Tacoma. The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death a homicide after he suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the head. Stebbins ran A to B Auto Inc., was active in the local dirt track racing community, and played guitar and sang with the band 0’Dark:30. He is survived by his daughter Tabitha; his wife and sister predeceased him.

In the early morning of February 19 Stebbins called 911 to report a suspicious man and a dog on his car lot who had asked for a ride. While the operator told him police were en route, screams and groaning were heard on the line. Surveillance footage captured a man later identified as Jerry Espana Davila approaching Stebbins’ vehicle; the dog in the footage flinched at a moment investigators believe coincided with the gunfire. Stebbins’ Hyundai was later found in Central Tacoma with his body inside.

Davila, 39 at the time, was arrested on February 22, 2024, after officers tracked the black lab that had been with him; the dog had been struck by a car and taken to the local humane society, where Davila and an ex-girlfriend went to retrieve it and police were waiting. No clear motive has been established. Does anyone have information about Stebbins, the A to B Auto lot, or the events that night?