On May 21, a jury convicted Tacoma gang member Tyree W Jefferson, 27, in the shooting of Tacoma resident Rosendo Robinson Jr., 33.

After a four week trial, Jefferson was found guilty of attempted murder in the first degree, assault in the first degree and unlawful possession of a firearm in the first degree.  He is facing up 35 years in prison.  Jefferson is scheduled to be sentenced on June 19, 2015 at 1:30 p.m. in room  833 of the County-City Building in Tacoma.

“Our gang unit continues to vigorously and successfully prosecute violent gang members,” said Prosecutor Mark Lindquist.  “This is more proof that gang violence in Pierce County leads nowhere but prison.”

On February 15, 2013, Jefferson and his uncle, Dimitri Powell, got into a fight with Robinson at the Latitude 84 bar in Tacoma.  The altercation moved across the street to the Union 76 gas station.  As Powell and Robinson were fighting, Jefferson retrieved a gun from his trunk and shot Robinson four times.

The case went cold because of lack of cooperation from witnesses. In May 2013, the South Sound Gang Task Force reactivated the case and conducted an extensive investigation, identifying all the witnesses. The investigation led to Jefferson’s arrest and successful prosecution.