Tacoma detectives spent 16 hours searching for evidence Sunday after a 2 a.m. shooting left one man dead and two others in serious condition outside a crowded party at 5224 South Tacoma Way.
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Tyrell Stokes, 29, of Tacoma, died after being rushed to a hospital. Two unidentified men in their 20s are being treated at Madigan Army Medical Center.
The shooters have not been identified, and police had no descriptions of suspects yet, Tacoma police Officer Loretta Cool said.
The shooting happened in an alley behind a party at a private nightclub, where a crowd celebrated the release of a hip-hop album created by Tacoma artists. More than a dozen bullet holes were marked by detectives in a wall behind the alley.
Neighbors say late Saturday night, there was a long line of people waiting to get into the party, which was held in what neighbors call a "private nightclub," which has no sign. "I didn't even know that club existed, and I've been around here a long time," neighbor Kevin McCament said.
"I could see this trouble coming," McCament said. "Too many people in a very small place all gathered waiting to get in, they were very antsy, it was a little bit nerve-wracking to watch."
The private nightclub where the party was held used to be a marijuana dispensary, but the state Liquor and Cannabis Control Board pulled its license because it was found to be too close to a preschool.
Other neighbors told KIRO 7 the combination of crowds and alcohol in the area made gunfire common in the last few weeks.
"For three weekends in a row, there were gunshots fired, that really spooked people," neighbor Roy Mesler said. "There's senior apartments right behind the building over here, so it's a bad situation."