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The Today File

Your guide to the latest news from around the Northwest

December 28, 2012 at 4:35 PM

Bellevue bar shooting suspect charged

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office Friday charged Ja’Mari Jones, 19, with second-degree murder and requested he be held on $5 million bail for a fatal shooting at a Bellevue bar on Monday. Jones remains at large.

If convicted, prosecutors say he could spend 20 to 28 years in jail for the charge, which has been made with a firearm weapon enhancement.

Video from Bellevue Square’s Munchbar shows Jones–who was convicted in 2009 in the beating death of Ed “Tuba Man” McMichael–entering the bar wearing a red down vest with another man, Michael Cheatham, at about 1 a.m., according to charging papers.

Footage shows Jones and the other man entering the crowded bar and talking near DeShawn Milliken, 30, of Seattle and his sister, according to the account. When Milliken appears to recognize Jones, he tackles him. About eight seconds later Milliken turns away, but is then tackled at the waist by Cheatham.

Charging papers say that’s when Jones brandished a gun, pointed it at Milliken and then fired at least once. Witnesses at the scene reported hearing four to six shots.

Milliken died at the scene of multiple gunshot wounds, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Jones is also seen clearly in the video running out of the crowded bar, court papers state.

Cheatham later flagged down officers near the bar’s parking garage while bleeding heavily from gunshot wounds to his hand and forearm, according to a Bellevue police officer’s report in the charging papers.

Officer Jennifer Robertson reported that Cheatham at first denied coming to the bar with anyone or knowing who shot him. When officers interviewed him again after viewing the video, according to Robertson’s report, Cheatham admitted to being the man in the video and identified Jones as the man in the red vest. He refused to answer any further questions.

Comments | More in The Blotter | Topics: Bellevue, Ja'Mari Jones, Munchbar

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The Today File is a general news blog featuring real-time coverage of Seattle and the Northwest. It is reported by the news staff of The Seattle Times and edited by Assistant Metro Editor Nick Provenza.

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