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Drive-by shooting at Des Moines sports bar injures one

La Familia Sports Bar is same site where three people were killed, two injured in 2021

One person was shot in the hand during a drive-by shooting outside the La Familia Sports Bar along Pacific Highway South in Des Moines.

Officers responded at about 11:45 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19 after 911 calls about a shooting at the bar, 22855 Pacific Highway S., according to a Jan. 20 Des Moines Police press release. The bar is just north of Kent.

According to initial reports, a vehicle driving southbound on Pacific Highway South fired multiple shots in the direction of the bar. Paramedics transported the person struck in the hand to an area hospital.

A suspect has not yet been identified and video from the area is being collected, according to police. If anyone witnessed the incident or has any information about the shooting, contact the Des Moines Police tipline at 206-870-6871 or email PHScrimetips@desmoineswa.gov.

Same bar as 2021 murders

The shooting occurred at the same bar where five people were shot in the parking lot and road on Sept. 26, 2021. Three were killed and two were injured.

King County prosecutors charged Joshua Puloka, aka Joshua Everybodytalksabout, 45, of SeaTac, with three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

Puloka has a pretrial hearing Feb. 24 at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. He remains in the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle.

Puloka is charged with fatally shooting Ezra Taylor, 26; Antoine Matthews, 32; and Angelia Hylton, 46. Two other men were shot and injured.




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