Sudden Death: Text Messaging

TACOMA, Wash. -- A dispute that started with an exchange of angry text messages and escalated to random gunfire led to the fatal shooting of a bystander in Tacoma Thursday night, the victim's family told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.

The victim's brother, Vincent Silva, said the dispute started over text messages between two young girls. One of the girls called friends, who arrived and joined the dispute.

Silva said his sister, 40-year-old Lisa Melancon, heard the argument near her home on South Bell Street near South 72nd Street at about 11:30 p.m. and that she called 911.

Tacoma police Spokesman Mark Fulghum said the victim stepped outside for a closer look at what was going on outside her house just as someone in a car leaving the scene fired three shots at random.

Two of the bullets struck the victim, Fulghum said. She died on her front porch.

“I could see my sister's body slumped over the porch. She was shot and she flailed back laying there in her own blood,” said Stephanie Bubnick, Melancon's sister.

Amie Hieronymus said she was one of the teens texting before the incident occurred.

“I'm so sorry, she was innocent,” Hieronymus said.

She said when the fighting started she went to the Melancon’s home for help.

“I yelled for him to help and he came outside…Lisa came out and screamed for him to come back in; I warned there was a gun,” Hieronymus said.

Joe Melancon was on his porch, his wife Lisa came out too, just as the car was driving off.

“It (the bullet) went right past my head. I dropped to the ground to kind of dodge any more bullets and when I looked up Lisa was on the ground,” Hieronymus said.

A bullet hit Lisa Melancon in the head.

“She laid on her door step. When she laid her head on that doorstep, she died in that house she made home,” Silva said.

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