Man accused of murdering homeless man at Richland’s Uptown is back in Tri-Cities
The 28-year-old suspect appeared in a Tri-Cities court Thursday for the first time since being accused of killing a homeless man at the Uptown Shopping Center.
Isiah N. Rodriguez was booked into the Benton County jail in Kennewick on Wednesday afternoon after being transported from the Multonomah County jail in Portland, Ore.
Prosecutors have charged Rodriguez with one count of second-degree murder in connection with the Nov. 16 fatal shooting of Michael Perkins, 36.
Rodriguez’s bail remains at $1 million. He is expected to enter a plea to the charge next week.
Richland investigators say he opened fire at Perkins about 4:10 a.m. , after the homeless man tried to stop Rodriguez from forcing a woman to give him her coat.
Rodriguez and another man, Troy A. McCowan, 34, fled after the shooting. Federal and local police arrested Rodriguez near Portland days later. He agreed to be returned to Washington state to face the charges.
McCowan is charged with first-degree rendering criminal assistance and is in the Benton County jail with bail set at $500,000.
Argument in shopping area breezeway
Court documents say security video at the Richland shopping area shows Rodriguez approached three people, including a woman in a light-colored coat and a man in a hoodie.
Rodriguez was carrying a M48 tactical war hammer, a modern version of the medieval weapon with a hammer head and a spike.
Michael Perkins was at a nearby picnic table in the breezeway near Lee’s Tahitian restaurant, court documents said.
His brother Steaven Perkins told the Tri-City Herald that Perkins suffered from mental health issues and was known to sometimes sleep in the breezeway area.
Witnesses described Rodriguez as being hostile when he spoke with the woman and man for less than a minute before trying to take the woman’s coat.
That’s when Michael Perkins stepped in and stripped the war hammer away from Rodriguez, said the documents.
McCowan then arrived. And Rodriguez is seen taking items, including possibly a cellphone, from the man in the hoodie, said the documents.
The documents said the video shows Rodriguez and Perkins yelling at each other, and another person tried to get between them.
Perkins tossed the hammer on the roof of the shopping center but Rodriguez pulled out a gun and shot him three times, said court documents.
It’s not clear whether Rodriguez had the gun the entire time or if someone else handed it to him.
After the shots were fired, Rodriguez and McCowan are seen on the video running away, and Perkins was lying on the ground.
This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 3:39 PM.