A 32-year-old man suspected of fatally shooting another man outside an Ashford bar will be released from jail Tuesday because Pierce County prosecutors have not decided whether to file charges.
The News Tribune is not naming the man because he has not been charged with a crime. The victim, 50-year-old Paul Hewlett, died Sunday from multiple gunshot wounds.
Detectives will interview people who knew the men and check for possible confrontations between them in the past, sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.
The shooting took place about 11:30 p.m. in the parking lot of a tavern in the 30300 block of state Route 706 after Hewlett and the suspected shooter left the bar.
Investigators believe a dispute broke out over a woman who worked at the bar.
She once dated Hewlett and on Sunday night accused him of stalking her, Troyer said. The woman also knew the suspected shooter but it’s unclear if they had a romantic relationship.
The victim was not armed, Troyer said.
After Hewlett was shot, the other man went home and waited a while before calling 911 to turn himself in.
Hewlett was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, where he died about 2 a.m.
Prosecutors said they’re not sure when a charging decision will be made.
