Tacoma mass shooting: Opening statements begin in 2021 quadruple murder case

TACOMA, Wash. - Opening statements begin Tuesday for a deadly mass shooting in Tacoma from Oct. 2021.

Maleke Pate, who was 22 years old at the time, is accused of gunning down 42-year-old Maria Nunez, her 19-year-old son Emery Iese, 22-year-old Raymond Williams and his girlfriend, 22-year-old Natasha Brincefield. Court documents released in 2021 suggested there was no apparent motive for the deadly shooting, and no connection was found between the victims and Pate.

Pate faces four charges of first-degree murder, but there remain questions about how Pate was identified as a suspect.

According to court documents from 2021, Pate lived alone and surrendered peacefully during his arrest. Inside his room, investigators found shooting targets suggesting he was "practicing headshots." Documents said none of the victims had any connection to drugs, gangs or the suspected shooter.

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They say the motive for the murders is entirely unclear, but detectives did uncover Brincefield and Pate were classmates in fifth grade.