Bail is set at $250,000 for a man accused of firing a handgun out of a vehicle toward another car on state Route 7 near Morton on Saturday.
No injuries were reported.
The driver of the other vehicle reported he was traveling with his wife and daughter on state Route 7 toward Puyallup when, as they neared milepost 4, the driver of the blue and gray Ford F-250 in front of them allegedly “stuck a handgun out of the driver’s side window and fired a round towards them,” according to documents filed in Lewis County Superior Court.
The F-250 had reportedly pulled out in front of the other vehicle U.S. Highway 12 and remained in front of the other vehicle as both cars traveled onto state Route 7.
Washington State Patrol troopers responded to the shooting at about 2:05 p.m. on Oct. 7, according to court documents.
A video of the incident was reportedly “consistent with (the victim’s) statement,” according to court documents.
The victim provided troopers the F-250’s license plate number and troopers learned the vehicle is registered to Justin Greenwood, 42, of Morton.
A trooper reportedly located Greenwood at a gas station in Morton at about 10:45 p.m. on Oct. 7.
When contacted by the trooper, Greenwood allegedly said “he had been chased by another vehicle earlier in the day while on state Route 7,” according to court documents.
Greenwood was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail at 2:15 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8, according to jail records.
“Mr. Greenwood has relayed to me he was incredibly cooperative with the investigation,” defense attorney Rachael Tiller said during Greenwood’s preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday, Oct. 9.
Greenwood faces one count each of drive-by shooting and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Greenwood has two convictions on record — one from 1999 and one from 2012 — that prohibit him from possessing a firearm.
While Judge James Lawler acknowledged Greenwood’s limited criminal history, he agreed with Deputy Prosecutor Joe Bassetti’s argument that the allegations pose an extreme community safety risk and granted Bassetti’s $250,000 bail request.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 12.
