TACOMA — Dominick Maldonado was found guilty Tuesday of attempted murder, assault and kidnapping in a November 2005 shooting rampage at the Tacoma Mall.
A Pierce County Superior Court jury convicted Maldonado, 22, of 15 separate crimes after about four days of deliberations.
Superior Court Judge Linda Lee set sentencing for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 2.
Jurors bypassed three more serious charges in convicting Maldonado, who argued that a mental disorder shielded him from responsibility in the shootings that wounded seven people.
The jury found Maldonado not guilty of attempted first-degree murder, convicting him of attempted second-degree murder instead.
Jurors also found Maldonado not guilty of two counts of first-degree assault, opting instead to convict him of two counts of second-degree assault.
He also was found guilty of illegally possessing firearms. The assault, kidnapping and attempted murder convictions all carry a special enhancement for crimes committed with firearms.
Prosecutors argued that Maldonado planned the attack for weeks and knew what he was doing. They pointed to evidence that Maldonado called 911 just before the shooting and told a dispatcher to “follow the screams.”
Maldonado began his assault at about noon on Nov. 20, 2005, marching down a mall corridor while firing an assault rifle and machine pistol.
He later took hostages in a music store. The assault ended after about four hours when two of the hostages helped disarm Maldonado and walk him out to meet police. None of the hostages was hurt.
In a subsequent jailhouse interview, Maldonado told The News Tribune of Tacoma that he didn’t want to hurt anyone, but wanted to get the media’s attention and then have police officers kill him.
He also said he had suppressed pain from traumatic childhood experiences, including the death of his father.
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