Thirteenth Tacoma Homicide of 2015: Jeffery Wayne Shaw

It was early Sunday morning just after 2am in the parking lot of a convenience store in the 3700 block of North Pearl Street. In the passenger seat of a car sat 33-year-old Jeffery Wayne Shaw. A 38-year-old man had arranged to meet him and buy some heroin. The 38-year-old man approached the car and showed a fake badge. Jeffery responded by telling the driver to drive and was shot. The driver took Jeffery to Tacoma General Hospital. Shortly after arriving at the hospital he died from his wounds. The 38-year-old was arrested hours later by the Tacoma Police Department.

Jeffery Wayne Shaw is the thirteenth Tacoma Homicide this year. He was not unknown to the police. A quick online search will show he has a lengthy criminal history. It might not show that he has an eleven year old son. Or that he was apprenticing to be an electrician. It won’t likely show the friends and family who are devastated by the loss of this man. It won’t show what it’s like to grow up without a father.

Too often murders like this go unreported or ignored. Some people see a drug deal gone bad and assume anyone involved deserves what they get, but a man is more than his worst deeds. We all are. The life of Jeffery Wayne Shaw is just as important as any we’ve lost this year. And there is no way to discount his life without saying on some level that we do not value all life. At TacomaStories every life is vital and worth being remembered.

As always the comments section is moderated by me. Every comment must be approved. It is reserved for those who knew Jeffery and want to share thoughts of memories of him. Disparaging, insulting, or threatening comments will not be tolerated. There are sadly plenty of other places for that sort of thing

- Jack Cameron

There is a GoFundMe account for those who want to donate to the victim's family. https://www.gofundme.com/f9eqk7z6