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Downtown Seattle shooting suspect held on $250,000 bail

Jamel Linonell Jackson, one of the men police said was captured on video firing shots during the Jan. 22 shootout at Third Avenue and Pine Street in downtown Seattle, was ordered held on $250,000 bail Monday.

Police say a rival gang member shot at Jackson, and he responded by firing multiple rounds after being shot. Prosecutors -- who said Jackson has been ordered not to possess a gun at least four times by King County Superior Court judges -- noted he shot back at the crowded intersection full of commuters and tourists.

Jackson hasn’t been charged with assault or murder in the shooting that left one woman dead and seven others wounded. Police say his shots didn’t hit anyone. His court appearance Monday was for an illegal gun possession charge.

Two other suspected gunmen, Marquise Latrelle Tolbert and William Ray Tolliver, are charged with first-degree murder for the death of Tanya Jackson. They’re also charged with assault for injuries to six others, including a 9-year-old boy. Jackson is among those victims.

Tolbert and Tolliver, who both have extensive criminal histories, also were charged with being felons illegally possessing handguns.

In the downtown Seattle shootout, police said Tolbert and Tolliver fired at least 20 rounds total with no regard for the dozens of innocent people around them. All shooting victims other than Jackson are believed to be random.

Police describe Tolbert, Tolliver and Jackson as gang members in multiple court documents. Families say otherwise.

Gang Unit detectives say Tolbert and Tolliver, who were arrested after fleeing to Las Vegas, have ties to a South Seattle gang. Police say Jackson admitted to being a member of a Central District gang.

Overall, the Central District gang and the South Seattle gang have a long, violent feud that’s lead to numerous gang related shootings and murders in Seattle, police records show.

In 2017, police say Jackson was part of a fight outside the same McDonald’s at Third Avenue and Pine Street. He wasn’t convicted for that fight, but pleaded guilty to unlawful firearm possession.

In his guilty plea, signed Jan. 8, 2018, Jackson wrote that the incident was not gang related and that he was not a member of any gang. In court Monday, Jackson’s brother insisted Jamel was not a gang member and was going to pick up his 2-year-old son when he was shot.

An attorney argued Monday that Jackson’s face should not be shown in court -- a public hearing -- but the judge did not agree. Jackson also was on Facebook Live from the shooting scene the night of the incident, before he was taken to Harborview Medical Center.

Jackson, who has juvenile adjudications that include robbery and attempted robbery, is expected to be back in court Feb. 27 to enter a plea.