Murder conviction in Tacoma bystander shooting

Published 12:01 am Thursday, July 21, 2011

TACOMA — A jury in Tacoma has convicted a man of first-degree murder and related counts in the July 2010 fatal shooting of a woman hit by a stray bullet while standing in front of her house.

Investigators told Superior Court jurors that a fight involving several men in Tacoma escalated into

a shooting. Lisa Melancon and her husband stepped outside their house to see what the commotion was about. The 40-year-old woman was hit and the bullet narrowly missed her husband, Joe Melancon.

KOMO reported that Olujimi Blakeney was also convicted Wednesday of drive-by shooting, unlawful possession of a firearm and assault.