TACOMA, Wash. — Tacoma police are searching for the two men who shot and killed a young father inside his home early Wednesday. The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s office identified the victim as 24-year-old Jawuan Swift of Tacoma.
Tacoma police say two men came to an apartment complex in the 600 block of South Steele Street around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday and forced their way into Swift's apartment where he was sleeping with his girlfriend and 5-year-old child. They shot and killed him and stole money.
Raffael "Ralph" Slaughter is related to Swift’s father. He said the crime is difficult to fathom. “I could only imagine how traumatic it was ... it's just insane, the family we all want ... is justice for Jawuan. Whoever this is they need to be captured.”
Slaughter, a car dealer, will donate money from every car he sells to help pay for Swift's funeral.
Ryan Hunter lives next door to Swift and said he was up early Wednesday when the crime occurred. “It's not even a stone's-throw away from our house. It's right there. It's pretty nuts... definitely, you do a second on the lock on the doors everything like that.”
Police hope the public can help find the suspects, but they have no description of the suspects or any vehicle they may have used. Hunter said small crime is an issue in the area but nothing like what happened Wednesday. “Someone sees something they like and maybe break into a car but nothing like that, that's not even in the same stratosphere as someone being killed.”
Slaughter said Swift had just moved into the apartment with his family, adding that no one deserves such a violent end. “It was a coward move, justice will prevail. To me whoever did this is a low-life punk.”
Tacoma police are asking anyone who knows anything or saw anything in the area
to contact them.
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