A 17-year-old Tacoma boy pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge for allegedly shooting a 21-year-old SeaTac man in November 2024 on the West Hill in Kent.
Prince J. Mayamba entered his plea Monday, Feb. 24 at the King County Courthouse in Seattle, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. King County Superior Court Judge Melinda Young kept bail at $3 million. He remains in custody at the Clark Children and Family Justice Center in Seattle.
Prosecutors are charging Mayamba as an adult because he is at least 16 years old and has been accused of a felony crime. He was 16 at the time of the shooting.
On Nov. 21, 2024, Mayamba reportedly walked up to a black 2010 Lexus SUV driven by Khamal J.Blissitt while it was stopped at Veterans Drive and Military Road South and fired six shots through the passenger’s side window, according to charging documents. Blissitt died of multiple gunshot wounds, primarily to the right side of his upper body, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Mayamba also faces second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm because he is under the age of 18 and he had pending charges for unlawful possession of a firearm in a previous case, reportedly the same gun used in the shooting.
Kent Police had identified Mayamba as a suspect after gathering information from a witness to the shooting, video surveillance from nearby apartment complexes, Ring surveillance video from an apartment and Flock cameras, used by police to capture license plate numbers at intersections throughout the city, according to charging papers.
Police entered a temporary arrest warrant Jan. 15 for Mayamba. Detectives arrested Mayamba Feb. 8 after Tacoma Police responded to Tacoma General Hospital where Mayamba had been dropped off with a gunshot wound to his leg. Tacoma Police learned that Mayamba had a warrant and contacted Kent Police, who took Mayamba into custody after he was treated and released from the hospital.
Although no motivation for the shooting is listed in charging documents, Mayamba and Blissitt met and spoke at least twice, once a few hours prior to the shooting and the second time just minutes before the incident.
Detectives used video surveillance to match the same gray sweatshirt and pants Mayamba reportedly wore at the apartment complex and during the shooting, according to charging papers. Detectives noted that they recognized Mayamba from numerous previous incidents, which were not detailed in court documents. One detective said he had interacted face to face with Mayamba on several occasions.
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