Ninth Tacoma Homicide of 2018: Josh Youell
According to charging papers, Josh Youell was looking for a man he claimed owed him money. They’d talked on the phone earlier and it seemed as though the man was disrespecting Josh. Josh wanted to talk face to face. He and some others went looking for the man in an SUV. They found him near the 4400 block of Portland Avenue. It was 8pm on July 24th. It’d been a hot day. Though there were at least five other people in the SUV ranging in ages from 16-30, Josh was the only one to step out initially. Josh and the man got into a scuffle. The scuffle ended with Josh having been stabbed repeatedly. Three people in the SUV stepped out. Two had guns and shot the man who stabbed Josh as he ran away. They then drove Josh to Allenmore Hospital where they helped him get inside. Josh later died from his stab wounds during surgery becoming the ninth Tacoma homicide victim this year.
It isn’t known how much money the man owed Josh, but it certainly was not worth both of their lives. It is often not until horrific tragedy has struck that we see how minor our differences really are. It helps to remember that everyone you know has sides you may not see. I doubt the man who stabbed Josh knew that Josh had a sister who was also his best friend. I doubt that the people who shot the man who stabbed Josh knew he had a three year old daughter who had already lost her mother. And I would bet anything that given the option everyone involved would take back everything that happened.
This year continues to be a year in which the homicide rate in Tacoma is higher than normal. We've had literally twice as many homicides as we did at this time last year. This means more grieving family and friends and the loss of more Tacomans.
As always the comments section is reserved for friends and family of Josh who want to share memories or thoughts about him. All comments are moderated and approved before they are posted.
- Jack Cameron
