One Suspect Caught Across the Country, Another Still on the Run in Tacoma Murder Case

A New Year's Night Turned Deadly

In the early hours of New Year's Day 2026, at around 3:39 a.m., officers with the Tacoma Police Department were dispatched to a home in the 3500 block of East Grandview Avenue after a reported shooting at a house party. What should have been a night of celebration ended in tragedy. When officers arrived, they found 25-year-old Geno Saunders III outside the house with a gunshot wound. Officers and medics performed life-saving efforts, but he died at the scene.

The victim's family told reporters that Saunders was at his girlfriend's mother's home, where he received a phone call telling him to go outside. As he was leaving the house, he was shot and killed, and a car took off from the area. The circumstances made it all the more jarring — a young man simply stepping outside, ambushed by people who, according to investigators, he had never even met.

A Senseless Attack by Strangers

Investigators say the two suspects jumped the victim, a struggle followed, and Saunders was shot at close range. Authorities say the victim did not know the suspects. Barkei Ben Isreal Brinson, also known as "Kai," and Aiden Terrel Finley were both wanted for murder. The pair had attended the same house party on Tacoma's east side that night. When the party let out, Brinson and Finley accosted Saunders outside the house. Saunders was then fatally shot at close range and the suspects fled.

The shooting was the first homicide Tacoma Police responded to in 2026. For a family already grappling with the shock of loss, that grim distinction only deepened the pain. Those who knew Geno Saunders III described a young man full of life and ambition. "He loved music and made many tracks which he put on YouTube, hoping one day he would make it in the music industry. Geno was fun to be around; he made me a first-time mother and taught me how to be one at 18 years old. He loved family and was hoping one day he would have his own little family."

One Suspect Down, One Still Dangerous and Free

U.S. Marshals in Texas arrested 21-year-old Barkai "Kai" Ben Isreal Brinson nearly nine months after the fatal New Year's Day house party shooting in Tacoma. Authorities announced they had captured Brinson in Waco, Texas. It was a significant break in the case — but only half the job done. The second suspect in the Tacoma shooting, Aiden Terrel Finley, is still wanted for murder.

Authorities report Finley remains at large and are asking the public to submit anonymous tips to help locate him. Officials encourage anyone with information about the suspect's location to send an anonymous tip on the Crime Stoppers app, website, or by calling 1-800-222-TIPS. The fact that one suspect fled hundreds of miles to Texas underscores just how seriously investigators are taking the possibility that Finley may have also left the region.

Justice Incomplete, a Community Still Waiting

The arrest of Brinson offers Geno Saunders' family a measure of progress, but closure remains out of reach as long as Finley walks free. Cases like this one illustrate how the reach of federal law enforcement — particularly the U.S. Marshals — can extend well beyond state lines, turning what might seem like a cold trail into an active manhunt. The nine-month pursuit that ended in Waco is proof that distance is rarely a permanent shield for those fleeing justice.

For the Tacoma community, this case is a sobering reminder of how quickly and randomly violence can shatter lives. A young man with dreams of a music career, a family, and a future was killed by strangers he had never crossed. As investigators continue to pursue Finley, the family of Geno Saunders III waits — not just for an arrest, but for answers that may never fully explain why their son never made it home that New Year's morning.