First Tacoma Homicide of 2020 Brian Cendejas
It was 1am on January 5th at 25-year-old Brian Cendejas’s grandmother’s home in the 3800 block of North 21st Street. Brian and a few friends were drinking. One of his friends had a ball of cocaine the size of a softball. There was also a 9mm pistol. A 26-year-old was at least three feet away from Brian when he shot him in the left side of the head. He and two others grabbed the cocaine and ran off. Authorities arrived a short time later. Brian was transported to St. Joseph’s hospital where he later died.
Charging papers say that they made jokes and tried to come up with a credible story as to how Brian got shot. When they were arrested a few days later, they claimed that Brian shot himself, but the evidence and the fact that Brian was right-handed destroyed their claims. Brian’s killer is currently out on bail and has been charged with manslaughter.
Brian Cendajas was the first homicide of 2020. He was also a friend of my son’s. They used to skate together. My son says he was always a friendly guy and someone he really enjoyed spending time with. He had an infectious laugh. And he loved skating. Who and what he may have become later in life we will never know as that has been stolen from us.
As always, the comments section is moderated and reserved for those who knew Brian and want to share thoughts or memories of him. There is a GoFundMe page set up for Brian’s family. Please donate if you have the means.
Jack