Third family member charged in shootout that killed Tacoma man, injured three others

Charges have been filed against a third family member accused of participating in a shootout that left one man dead and three injured in Lakewood.

Pierce County prosecutors charged Juan Lucas-Gonzalez, 28, with first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree attempted murder, drive-by shooting and first-degree conspiracy to commit murder for the Aug. 25 shooting, court records show.

Lucas-Gonzalez is reportedly a full-time machinist at Boeing, according to court documents.

Julio Cesar Lucas, 41, and Matthew Cesar Lucas, 23, who are father and son, were charged in late September. Bail was set at $3 million for Julio, and $2 million for Matthew, The News Tribune previously reported.

A plea of not guilty was entered on Lucas-Gonzalez’s behalf at his arraignment on Monday. Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Philip Thornton set his bail at $2 million.

All three men are accused of killing 33-year-old Jose Lemus Castillo of Tacoma .

Charging details

Lakewood police officers were dispatched at 7:30 p.m. to reports of multiple people shooting at each other at 82nd Street South and 33rd Avenue South near a mobile home park. Upwards of 60 rounds were fired, and four people were shot, according to charging documents.

About 60 people in the area were frantically yelling and pointing when police arrived. A 2003 white Toyota Sienna van had crashed into the guard rail and was “riddled with bullet holes,” prosecutors wrote.

Castillo was lying on the ground with gunshot wounds. He was taken to Madigan Army Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead. Three other people were injured, documents show.

Julio and Matthew Lucas were identified as the shooting suspects through witness statements and surveillance footage that allegedly showed their 2020 Chevrolet Silverado truck driving away.

Activity from Matthew and Julio Lucas’s phones allegedly aligned with the truck’s reported movements before and after the shooting, documents show.

They were arrested on Sept. 19 in Arlington, Washington, without incident. Firearms and ammunition were reportedly found at the residence. Prosecutors wrote that the Silverado had a set of new tires, and a set of the damaged tired were inside a barn/garage.

Julio Lucas’s wife told detectives that her husband, Matthew Lucas and someone named “Angel” left the house together the day of the shooting. “Angel” was identified as Lucas-Gonzalez, prosecutors wrote. Lucas-Gonzalez is a relative of Julio Lucas’s.

Lucas-Gonzalez was with Julio and Matthew Lucas at a Home Depot following the shooting after the Silverado’s tires had blown out, according to another relative, prosecutors wrote. Surveillance footage allegedly showed a person matching Lucas-Gonzalez’s physical description in the Home Depot’s parking lot, mostly interacting with Julio Lucas.

Prior to the shooting, Lucas-Gonzalez and Matthew Lucas allegedly were seen on surveillance at a sporting goods store in Snohomish County purchasing a handgun magazine and ammunition between 3:04 p.m. and 3:06 p.m.

Phone records from Lucas-Gonzalez allegedly showed a similar pattern of movement as Julio and Matthew Lucas’s on the day of the shooting, prosecutors wrote.

He was arrested on Oct. 4 after a bench warrant was issued. Lucas-Gonzalez does not have any known criminal convictions, court records show.

A motive for the shooting has not been divulged.