A Washington state father of three and U.S. Navy veteran was shot in the head after a fight over a parking space erupted into gunfire inside a Seattle parking garage.
Mhaniq Wilkerson, 27, died in the early hours of Feb. 1 after bullets tore through the popular Sinking Ship parking structure in downtown Seattle.
Witnesses told local media that a dispute over a parking spot spiraled into chaos before shots rang out around 1:30 a.m. inside the garage on the 500 block of 2nd Avenue.
“People arguing over a parking space and it escalated,” security guard Sebastien Bonita told KOMO.
Detectives later confirmed that tempers flared into a physical confrontation before multiple people opened fire.
“Detectives determined that a physical fight broke out in the parking garage, which led to a gunfight between multiple people,” Seattle police stated in a release, noting Wilkerson suffered a “fatal gunshot wound to the head” and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Three other people were caught in the crossfire. “A second victim suffered life-threatening injuries,” the release continued.
“SFD treated and transported him to Harborview Medical Center (HMC) in critical condition,” the department added.
“SFD treated a third victim with a graze wound and transported her to HMC in stable condition. A fourth victim showed up at the hospital with a graze wound from gunfire. She is also in stable condition.”
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Police detained two individuals following disturbances at the scene, but investigators have not identified the shooter or shooters responsible for Wilkerson’s death.
Authorities released photos of several people believed to be connected to the violence and urged the public to come forward.
“Detectives believe these individuals have vital information about the early morning shooting that occurred inside of the parking structure,” Seattle PD said.
“Detectives are also asking the public for any cellphone video before, during, or after the time of the shooting.”
Wilkerson’s family laid him to rest in Arkansas, where he was born. His mother, Robin Wilkerson, told KCPQ that knowing those responsible remain free is “devastating.”
“It sickens me, I’m mad, all the above,” she commented. “It’s hard to breathe, it’s hard to fathom, and my son is lost, and there’s nobody accountable for it.”
His brother, Darrius Wilkerson, voiced faith that the truth will come out.
“Karma will do their part and get them just as bad,” he told the station. “I never wish ill will on anybody, but I know, whoever did this to my brother will be found.”
The deadly garage shootout unfolded as other states faced their own bursts of gun violence tied to veterans and active-duty service members.
In North Carolina, deputies tracked down a man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend on Valentine’s Day before fleeing more than 400 miles.
Caleb Fosnaugh, 25, was identified by the Moore County Sheriff’s Office as the suspect in the deaths of 28-year-old Matthew Wade and 21-year-old Katya Tovmash in Vass.
Deputies responded to the home around 7:45 a.m. and found both victims dead inside.
Authorities named Fosnaugh as the suspect the same day and later located him in Ohio.
Investigators confirmed Fosnaugh and Tovmash previously dated when they lived in Ohio.
Wade was an active-duty U.S. Army soldier stationed at Fort Bragg, and family members said his relationship with Tovmash, a Ukrainian refugee, had just begun.
Reports indicated Tovmash helped raise younger siblings after her family fled Ukraine two years earlier, though officials did not confirm whether any siblings were present during the shooting.
Fosnaugh remains in custody in Coshocton County and faces extradition to Moore County on two counts of murder and one count of breaking and entering.
In Georgia, a jury convicted a man who shot his wife’s former fiancé during what was supposed to be a supervised visitation exchange.
Nicholas Michael Mimms, 37, was found guilty of felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in the death of 31-year-old U.S. Army Veteran Eduardo “Eddie” Gilberto Figueroa.
Prosecutors told jurors that Mimms waited outside a Cherokee County home on Aug. 7, 2021, as Figueroa arrived for his first court-approved parental time with his child.
Figueroa carried a stuffed animal for the visit. Mimms wore body armor and carried a gun.
Officers found Figueroa dead on a deck outside the home with multiple gunshot wounds.
Mimms argued self-defense and claimed Figueroa was “dangerous” and had “threatened him,” but prosecutors stated Figueroa had no weapon and posed no threat.
Jurors deliberated for about eight hours after a three-week trial before returning guilty verdicts. A sentencing date has not been set.
On the West Coast, a San Francisco jury convicted a a former U.S. Marine who shot his father and stepmother inside their home and livestreamed the aftermath.
Irvin Hernandez-Flores, 27, was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder with firearm allegations in the deaths of Jose Hernandez and Yesenia Soto.
Prosecutors said Hernandez-Flores drove to the family’s home around 2:20 a.m. on Aug. 13, 2022, scaled a locked security fence and forced his way inside.
He shot his father five times and then shot his stepmother six times. His father died at the scene, and Soto later died at a hospital.
Both killings occurred in front of the couple’s 11-year-old daughter. Authorities stated Hernandez-Flores then began livestreaming from his phone.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins addressed the verdict. “This horrific crime left a young woman without her parents and rocked a community,” Jenkins said.
“Our homicide unit works tirelessly each and every day to bring justice and accountability in these cases, and this verdict affirms that our continued efforts yield the results that our victims deserve.”
