1st Tacoma Homicide of 2023: Xavier Seiss
Some kids smile more than others. They see that you’re upset and want to do something to help. They’ll tell a joke or do something silly. Xavier Seiss was one of those kids. If something was wrong he wanted to help. At 14 years old he was just beginning to discover who he was and what he might be. And on January 12, 2023 he was waiting at the bus stop on Portland and East 40th Street with some friends. It was around 3pm.
At the same time, a 17-year-old and his girlfriend were driving to the 7-11 on Portland when the 17-year-old saw the teens waiting at the bus stop and became angry. He pulled out a gun and fired five shots at them. Some of those bullets hit Xavier. Two kids ran. Another 14-year-old tried to perform CPR. First responders arrived and took Xavier to a local hospital where he later died of his injuries. Fourteen-year-old Xavier Seiss was the first Tacoma homicide of 2023.
Xavier was one of three teens shot in four days in separate incidents in Tacoma. The person who shot Xavier has been arrested and charged with his murder. The other two teens survived their injuries.
Xavier was one of four children born to a mother who grew up in the foster system and has done her best to raise her family out of poverty. His mother, his stepfather, and his three sisters will never get to see the man Xavier would have grown up to be. And Tacoma and the rest of the world is deprived of Xavier because of rash actions by a reckless individual.
If you’d like to help Xavier’s family, his family has a GoFundMe that is still active that you can access at this link.
The comment section is reserved for friends and family who knew Xavier and want to share thoughts or memories of him.
- Jack Cameron