Martin Douglas, a 56-year-old Black man, was shot and killed in a Federal Way driveway in the early hours of May 23, 2015. The night began when Douglas let an acquaintance, Justina Houston, borrow his car. Houston, her roommate Yesenia Cuellar and Cuellar’s infant picked up Michael Anthony Espinosa and a friend; the group then obtained and smoked methamphetamine. Douglas became increasingly agitated that night, calling and texting Houston for the return of his vehicle.

When Houston and the others returned about 2:10 a.m., a heated argument between Douglas, Houston and Cuellar erupted in the driveway. Espinosa, identified in part by distinctive facial tattoos, intervened; witnesses saw two men running after shots were fired. Douglas was found with a gunshot wound to the head and later died; the King County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide.

Police charged Michael Anthony Espinosa, known as Joker, with second-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm. At trial he testified he fired what he described as a warning shot and claimed self-defense; a jury convicted him of second-degree murder and the court imposed an exceptional sentence of 477 months. The conviction was later reversed on appeal due to a jury-instruction issue about self-defense.

Did anyone in the area witness the argument in the driveway or the two men running after the shooting?