Man Pleads Innocent To Bus Passenger Death

A Tacoma man pleaded innocent on Monday to one count of first-degree murder and two counts of assault in shootings on a Pierce Transit system bus and at a small grocery store.

Albert Spears, 21, entered his plea in Pierce County Superior Court.

Deputy Prosecutor Gerald Horne asked that bond be set at $1 million, calling Spears a danger to the community.

Detectives believe Spears wounded a customer at a convenience store on Saturday and, about two hours later, fatally shot a passenger on a bus.

Detectives had determined no motive for the shootings, police spokeswoman Corina Hopkins said.

The dead man was identified as Chin Hua Lee, 72, of Lakewood, who worked in a family-run restaurants in Steilacoom and Gig Harbor.

The first shooting occurred about 4 p.m. Saturday, when two young men entered the MJD Foods grocery store, looked around and left. One of the young men returned, shot a customer one time and fired several shots at the store clerk, but missed, Hopkins said.

The customer, 34-year-old Robert White, was in stable condition at Harborview Medical Center. His wife, Joyce, said her husband may end up partially paralyzed.

When police arrived, they learned the gunman may have fled the scene in a car. Detectives found the car in south Tacoma and determined it was owned by a relative of Spears.

Meanwhile, a young man boarded a public bus about 6 p.m. Saturday, rode it for about two miles and then signaled he wanted to get off. The bus stopped, he pulled a gun out of his jacket, laughed, and shot Lee, Hopkins said.