Moments before fatal Port Orchard shooting caught on camera; crime may be related to mail thefts

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. — Doorbell camera video shows the moments before a man was fatally shot in Port Orchard on Monday night.

At about 11 p.m., Kitsap County deputies were called to the 5200 block of Brady Place for reports of gunshots.

Police arrived to find a 31-year-old Pierce County man with gunshot wounds. The victim was given medical aid but was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man was later identified as Richard U. Taii, 31, of Puyallup.

Officers spoke with neighbors who provided surveillance video, and detectives were able to see the suspect’s silver truck. They then posted photos of the pickup on Twitter.

Surveillance video shows an SUV pull up next to some mailboxes and stop briefly before a silver pickup pulls up behind it. The SUV then drives away and the pickup quickly follows, its tires squealing.

Both vehicles then go off camera, and a single gunshot is heard.

RAW: Doorbell video shows moments before fatal shooting

Shortly after, the SUV then comes back into the video’s frame, rolling to a stop after hitting some mailboxes.

The silver pickup then backs up past the crashed SUV and is not seen again. Someone is seen getting out of the backseat of the SUV before the video ends. Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office public information officer Kevin McCarty said there were two women with Taii when he was shot.

In a second video, the SUV and pickup can barely be seen from a distance, but someone is heard saying “give me my (expletive) mail back” followed by a gunshot.

RAW: Yelling, gunshot in Port Orchard heard on video

Detectives are investigating a possible connection between mail thefts and the shooting.

“If you drive through the neighborhood, you can see that several mailboxes were left open. So they’re looking into that possibility,” said McCarty.

At around 3 a.m. on Tuesday, the silver pickup was found at a home on Southeast Chasewood Place, a mile away from the shooting scene.

The suspect, a 39-year-old Port Orchard man, was taken into custody.

Investigators said they were able to find the suspect quickly because of the help they received from neighbors.

“People came forward with a lot of information that led them to that vehicle, led them to the suspect, so they were able to get him into custody. No one else is believed to be involved at this time,” said McCarty.

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