A routine late-night stop for snacks turned deadly at a Kent gas station, and now a Renton man has been convicted of pulling the trigger.
On March 11, a King County jury found 44-year-old Joseph Bert Dixon guilty of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault, and unlawful possession of a firearm, with firearm enhancements added to each of the murder and assault counts. The 2021 shooting at a Kent gas station left a 23-year-old man dead and two others wounded, both of whom were treated at Harborview Medical Center.
The verdict came at the Maleng Regional Justice Center after jurors heard evidence and returned guilty findings, according to the Kent Reporter. Court filings cited by the outlet note that the murder and assault counts carried firearm enhancements and that Dixon was prohibited from having guns because of 10 prior felony convictions.
What Happened At The Circle K
Shortly after 1:18 a.m. on Sept. 19, 2021, three men pulled up to the Circle K on West Meeker Street in Kent. As they sat in their vehicle, a man walked up, opened the rear passenger door and began firing into the SUV, witnesses told police, according to The Seattle Times.
The man in the back seat, later identified as 23-year-old Devon Hill, was shot in the head and died from his injuries. Two other occupants were wounded before the SUV sped away from the gas station. Officers later found Hill lying face down in a gutter and recovered an unoccupied Cadillac nearby, according to the same reporting.
How Officers Tracked Him Down
Investigators say a mix of tips and surveillance footage helped them follow the trail from Kent to a motel in Bellingham, then to a Safeway parking lot in Clearview, where Valley SWAT officers moved in on the suspect. Officers reported that Dixon tried to escape by ramming vehicles and was shot in the lower back by SWAT members before being taken to Harborview Medical Center and booked, as detailed by HeraldNet.
Police later identified Dixon as the suspect through photographs and the broader investigation that followed, according to the outlet.
Charges, Evidence And What Comes Next
Detectives obtained a search warrant for the Cadillac and reported finding four fired .40-caliber casings, a fired .40-caliber bullet and what appeared to be heroin and oxycodone pills. Investigators say they also matched a fingerprint on the car to Dixon.
Prosecutors had charged Dixon with first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm, with firearm enhancements added to the murder and assault counts, charges that the jury ultimately found him guilty of, according to the Kent Reporter. It was not immediately clear when Dixon will be sentenced.
