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Mistaken identity may be to blame for drive-by shooting in Tacoma

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TACOMA, Wash. — A case of mistaken identity may be to blame for a drive-by shooting in Tacoma.

Pierce County prosecutors said Brandon Morris was gunned down simply because someone he was with may have been wearing the color red.

Authorities say neither Morris, nor anyone in his group, had any gang ties.

“I miss him, I miss him a lot,” mother Elladell Morris said. “I keep waking up, going and looking for him in his bedroom and he’s not there.”

Brandon Morris was gunned down on May 1 in a Tacoma alley.

Prosecutors said the suspect thought Brandon and his friends were members of a rival gang.

His mother said he was shielding his friends from the gunfire.

“He wasn’t doing anything wrong. They were just walking, him and his four friends. As they were coming around the corner, they heard shots,” Morris explained. “There was a Jeep there and my son started throwing everybody behind the Jeep and as he was going, that’s when he got shot.”

On Friday, Alexander Kitt pleaded not guilty to Brandon’s murder.

The second suspect in the case, Lance Milton Ausley, pleaded not guilty in court on Monday.

Prosecutors said Ausley, 17, was behind the wheel during the drive-by.

Though Ausley has no criminal history, the judge said his charges warranted a hefty bail. Bail was set at $1 million.

“I’m relieved, but this is not going to bring him back,” Morris said.

But his family says it's a first step toward justice.

Brandon’s father and little sister flew in from Texas for the hearing.

“He was a good big brother and I’m going to miss him very much,” sister Adrianna Morris said.

Brandon was about to graduate from Bate's Technical College to become a diesel mechanic.

While his family may never know what his future held, they take comfort in knowing the type of man they raised  - who died protecting his friends.

“It’s hard to let him go, but he did the right thing,” father Quentin Morris said.

Tacoma police say they are looking for at least two other suspects. Both of them are juveniles.

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