On the evening of October 13, 2019, 18-year-old Lavonte Daniel Fleming was found near the front door of a house in the 14800 block of Washington Avenue Southwest in Lakewood, Washington, with a single gunshot wound. Officers on scene pronounced him dead; the Pierce County Medical Examiner determined the bullet entered his back from a distance of one to two feet and the death was ruled a homicide.

A 17-year-old friend, Elijah Goode-Mitchell, was at the house and initially told responders that Fleming had shot himself. Investigators later identified multiple inconsistencies: a Snapchat video showed Goode-Mitchell holding a firearm resembling the one used, a witness said Goode-Mitchell had been pointing a gun with a laser sight the previous day, and another household member reported seeing Goode-Mitchell drag Fleming’s body and shout that he had shot himself. The gun was hidden in an outside planter by Goode-Mitchell’s grandmother.

Goode-Mitchell surrendered to detectives on October 15 and was charged with first-degree manslaughter and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm; he later pleaded guilty and was sentenced in April 2024. If anyone knew Lavonte or saw activity around Washington Avenue Southwest that night, please share what might help clarify the timeline.