Alleged killer of JBLM solider ordered held on $1.5M bail

PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — The man suspected of killing a Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier may have pulled the trigger because of an argument over two stolen pit bulls.

We are getting our first glimpse of a man suspected of killing a 25-year-old Army sergeant.

The shooting happened 10 days ago during a Saturday night party in Parkland.

The victim was not the person being accused of stealing the pit bulls, but according to court documents, he was a friend of the man who was being accused of the theft.

Now the man suspected of killing him is being held on $1.5 million bail.

This is the first court appearance for 37-year-old Joshua DaJuan Wright, suspected of killing a man he did not know, a 25-year-old Army sergeant.

The Pierce County deputy prosecutor outlined the charges he faces. “Two counts of murder in the second degree with a firearms enhancement,” she said.

“We were having a barbecue, then we heard like three or four (gunshots) which we thought were fireworks,” said Sandra Kinney of Parkland, who lives near the scene of the deadly shooting.

The incident happened on June 18, near 112th Street South and Ainsworth Avenue in Parkland. It triggered a large response from Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies.

A couple of days later, Joint Base Lewis McChord identified the victim as Sgt. Emmett Leviticus Moore, an active duty soldier from Georgia.

According to court documents, Moore was at the house when Wright arrived. Wright had been invited to pay off a debt. While there, he allegedly got into an argument over two stolen pit bulls.

The documents say he and Moore, who did not know each other, exchanged words. At some point, investigators say Wright pulled out a gun and opened fire, killing Moore.

The murder occurred as homicides in unincorporated Pierce County have doubled from a year ago.

The city of Tacoma is on track for a historically high murder rate as well. Detectives say they are working to solve these crimes, however. .

Wright has a criminal record in Pierce County that goes back to 2016. Prosecutors say he also has a criminal history in Florida and North Carolina.

Wright remains in the Pierce County jail.

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