Tri-Cities motorcycle gang shootout victim allegedly fired first. New details released
A motorcycle gang member killed Thursday night started the shootout that left him dead, according to court records.
Investigators believe two members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club — Jordan Patrick Taylor, 30, of Pasco, and Triston Broome, 24, of West Richland — spotted members of a rival motorcycle club in the Jimmy Johns parking lot.
That led Taylor and Broome to allegedly confront the three members of “Anonymous,” a support club for Bandidos Motorcycle Club, on Clearwater Avenue shortly before 9:40 p.m., according to court records.
The fight would leave Taylor dead, a member of the rival club, Zachary Miller, 29, injured and Broome in the Benton County jail on suspicion of second-degree assault.
The Pagans and the Bandidos are considered outlaw motorcycle gangs by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The Pagans were formed in 1957 in Maryland, and the Bandidos formed in 1966 in San Leon, Texas.
Both groups have ties to drug and gun trafficking, said police officials.
While outlaw motorcycle club members live in the Tri-Cities, the clubs haven’t been linked recently to violent crimes in the area, say police.
A Walla Walla prison guard, who was believed to be in a leadership position in the Pagans, was arrested in 2021.
In 2017, five members of the Hells Angels were arrested after a suspected shooting on Highway 395. While the men were arrested, charges were never filed.
Kennewick police Lt. Ryan Kelly said violent confrontations are rare.
The situation is always changing, he said. For example, the Pagans are a relatively new addition to the area after moving west.
The court records lay out more details leading to the deadly shooting that started when Taylor and Broome spotted Miller, along with Paul Camden, 46, and Cash Smallwood, 51, in the parking lot on Clearwater Avenue near Columbia Center Boulevard.
The two followed the rival gang members as they headed east on Clearwater Avenue. Broome allegedly drove in front of the three men and braked. That caused Smallwood to nearly lose control of his bike.
The two groups continued east, and then Broome and Taylor stopped suddenly in front of them.
Taylor allegedly fired multiple times at Miller and hit him while Broome raised an ax handle at Smallwood, say investigators.
Camden allegedly returned fire and hit Taylor, according to court records, but has not been arrested.
Kennewick swimming pool shooting
Thursday’s shooting was the first of two in Kennewick in two days.
Investigators are still searching for the person who allegedly opened fire on a group at the Arlo Apartments on 10th Avenue just after 7 p.m. Friday.
Two groups were at the apartment complex’s swimming pool when an argument started, Kelly said. The groups left the pool area, but as one group stood outside the apartment building, someone from the other side drove by and opened fire, say police.
One person was shot in the arm and taken to a local hospital, while fragments of another bullet hit another person’s leg, Kelly said.
The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Kennewick police through the non-emergency dispatch line at 509-628-0333, or can leave a tip at kpdtips.com.
