His nickname is "Mouse," and he's either in hiding or on the run. Pierce County prosecutors have charged him with first-degree attempted murder. The victim is his ex-girlfriend, who survived a gunshot to the chest, fired through her bedroom door in Parkland.
Police are still searching for Richard Dwayne Christensen, 33, who was charged last Thursday following the Dec. 27th incident. Prosecutors added charges of first degree assault, first degree burglary and unlawful possession of a firearm. Christensen has multiple prior convictions, including second degree robbery, according to court records. At the time of the latest incident, he also had an active arrest warrant for unlawful possession of a firearm, dating to early November.
Pierce County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Darren Moss said Christensen has not yet been found by police. A warrant has been issued for his arrest. He is considered armed and dangerous.
Charging papers gave this account:
Pierce County Sheriff's Department deputies responded to a shooting at an apartment complex at 760 Polk Street in Parkland on Dec. 27.
Upon arrival, police found a woman in the bathroom with her boyfriend, suffering from a gunshot wound to her chest.
The woman and boyfriend identified the shooter as Christensen to police. She said he had beaten her in the past. That was why she left him.
The woman's roommate said Christensen knocked on the door to the unit looking for her. While the roommate went to get her, Christensen entered the house uninvited.
Christensen began pounding on the victims' bedroom door, where the woman and boyfriend were sleeping. The victim went to stand near the bedroom door and was talking to Christensen, who ranted, threatened to shoot, then fired through the door, hitting her in the right breast.
The boyfriend told law enforcement that Christensen may have been trying to shoot the victim in the face based on where he shot through the door.
Police later reviewed surveillance footage that showed Christensen arriving at the apartment complex in a white Crown Victoria, entering the victim's apartment, and leaving a short time later.
On Wednesday, deputies found the vehicle associated with Christensen and spoke to a witness who said the car had been dropped off by someone he only knew as "Mouse," who said he had shot his ex-girlfriend, court papers state.
When the victim got out of surgery, medical personnel explained to deputies that they would not be able to remove the bullet from her breast because, "if they did, she would bleed out and die," according to the charging documents.
