A Portland man is accused in a Nov. 30 shooting at an east Vancouver apartment complex. Investigators say he shot the cousin of a woman he had dated as retaliation for their breakup and her moving away.
MJ Joker, 20, appeared Tuesday in Clark County Superior Court on a warrant for attempted first-degree murder with a firearm enhancement. He also appeared in two unrelated cases — theft of a motor vehicle and failure to appear.
Judge John Fairgrieve set bail at a total of $1.515 million. Joker is scheduled to be arraigned Jan. 8.
Court records identify the victim as 25-year-old Ripson Pison and state he was shot six times.
Vancouver police responded shortly after midnight for a reported shooting at the Alder Creek Apartments, 11716 N.E. 49th St. Multiple callers reported hearing gunshots and someone moaning in pain, and then seeing two men running through the complex, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Arriving officers found Pison lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to an area hospital for treatment, the affidavit states.
Police found 10 shell casings from a .45 caliber handgun in the parking lot, as well as four holes in an unattached garage to the east, court records say.
Several people identified the shooter as Joker. Witnesses said he and another man fled in a red Nissan Pathfinder after the shooting. Investigators noted the SUV was associated with a Nov. 25 shooting at the apartment complex, in which people and vehicles were shot at. They said Joker is a person of interest in that incident and stated the shooting was possible retaliation for a friend being shot at in October and a breakup with a girlfriend, both related to Pison, the affidavit states.
On Dec. 4, officers spoke with Pison at the hospital through a translator. He said he was outside by some vehicles when two men approached him. They started talking and one, identified as Joker, asked Pison his name. When he told him, Joker pulled out a small, black handgun, Pison said, and started shooting him, according to the affidavit.
Pison positively identified Joker as the shooter from photos. He said Joker dated his cousin, the affidavit states.
