Prosecutors on Wednesday added witness tampering charges against the man accused in the Halloween night shooting at Vancouver Mall after they say he tried to convince his girlfriend not to cooperate with investigators.
Travis L. Ward, 32, is also charged in Clark County Superior Court with first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault and one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. The charging information states prosecutors are seeking an exceptionally high sentence for the murder charge, if Ward is convicted, because of the danger to mall patrons.
Ward’s attorney entered a not-guilty plea to two counts of tampering with a witness on his behalf. His trial readiness hearing is scheduled for Friday. The judge ordered Ward remain held without bail.
The prosecutor on the case reviewed several recorded jail calls Ward made to his girlfriend. The prosecutor forwarded two calls to Vancouver police detectives for review of whether he was committing witness tampering, according to a probable cause affidavit.
During the shooting investigation, detectives said Ward’s girlfriend gave them information that contributed to the basis for his arrest on the murder and assault charges, court records state.
In a Nov. 12 call, detectives said Ward can be heard telling his girlfriend not to show up to court hearings, even if attorneys subpoena her, the affidavit states.
In another call about an hour later, Ward can again be heard telling his girlfriend that he didn’t think she’d get in trouble for not showing up to court, detectives said, and she did “not have to show up to go against him,” according to the affidavit.
Shooting
Law enforcement from several agencies responded to the mall at 7:28 p.m. Oct. 31. When they arrived, they found a man, later identified as James Perez, 26, on the ground in the food court with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to court records.
Officers also learned two other people, identified as Brandon Leyrer and Daniel Martin, were struck by bullets, in the abdomen and the foot, respectively, court records state. They were treated at a local hospital and released the next day.
Mall surveillance video showed a person, later identified by police as Ward, wearing blue track-style pants, a black hoodie and a Joker mask following Perez for a short time before shooting him in the back of the head at point-blank range. Ward could then be seen firing several more rounds as Perez dropped to the ground. Ward then ran from the scene, according to court records.
Perez’s girlfriend told police she and Perez went to the mall to trick-or-treat with their children. She said their son became separated from them, and they were looking for him when Perez was shot, court records state.
Investigators determined Ward was with two women and a child in a costume until just before the shooting, and they all left the mall together afterward, according to court records.
Vancouver police released images of the women who were with Ward in a news release, in hopes of talking with them. One of the women then contacted police, and she told them she is Ward’s girlfriend. They were at the mall with her child and Ward’s mother for trick-or-treating, she said. She didn’t know Ward had shot anyone, she said, according to court records.
Officers arrested Ward on Nov. 2 at his apartment in east Vancouver. Investigators showed Ward the surveillance video, but they said in court records that Ward would not admit to the shooting or provide an explanation for shooting Perez.
