On the evening of July 15, 2023, Jeffery Ray Winn, a 43-year-old Black/African American man from Seattle, was shot outside the Phoenix Court Apartments in Kent, Washington. A dispute involving several males near an apartment stairwell escalated around 8:15 p.m.; multiple gunshots were fired, people scattered, and some individuals left in a dark-colored sedan. Officers arriving within minutes found Winn in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was treated at the scene, taken to Harborview Medical Center, and later died; the King County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide caused by a single gunshot wound.

Investigators recovered a cellphone at the scene, reviewed apartment surveillance and witness statements, and identified a suspect. On August 9, 2023, 25-year-old Jaiquane Sherrod Wheeler was arrested at the complex and charged with second-degree murder and first-degree assault. Court documents say a witness saw the shooter chase Winn, then search Winn’s pockets and ask Where is it; selfies on the recovered phone and the phone number linked investigators to Wheeler. Wheeler denied shooting Winn, admitted searching Winn’s pockets and firing at the ground near another man, and pleaded not guilty; bail was set at $2 million.

The Phoenix Court Apartments had seen multiple violent incidents that year, and police said steps were being taken to address problems in the neighborhood. Did anyone in the area see activity outside the complex that evening or recognize the dark-colored sedan mentioned by witnesses?