Ernest Searcy, 48, was shot and killed in a Tacoma parking lot on January 14, 2020. The shooting took place in the lot of a tavern at East L Street and Puyallup Avenue. Surveillance footage shows Searcy speaking with another 48-year-old man, Erik Alvarez, who had propped open the hood of his sedan; Searcy did not appear to make any physical threats. Witnesses heard two gunshots and saw a sedan leave the scene, and one bystander supplied the plate number.

Police located a matching car at a nearby convenience store and found Alvarez inside, kneeling in the back. He denied involvement, saying he had been jogging and doing push-ups. Officers did not recover a firearm, though a sock filled with ammunition was found in Alvarez’s vehicle, and investigators later learned he was prohibited from owning firearms because of prior felony convictions. Alvarez was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm; bail was set at $1 million. The motive remains unclear.

Did anyone in the area that morning see more of what happened in the tavern parking lot or know why Searcy and Alvarez were talking?