Man given 22-year sentence for 2021 fatal shooting

Published 11:30 am Friday, July 25, 2025

A Federal Way man received a 22-year sentence for a murder he allegedly committed because the victim’s driving made him feel like he was going to get shot due to past experiences.

On July 18, Patrick O’Neil Tables Jr., 26, was sentenced to 270 months in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. These charges stem from a July 30, 2021, incident near the 35600 block of 21st Avenue Southwest in Federal Way when Tables fatally shot Andre Davis, 19.

With three adult felonies, four juvenile felonies and five juvenile misdemeanors, Tables’ offender score was eight, giving him a sentencing range for second-degree murder between 257 months and 357 months. Tables was initially also charged with first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, but following a plea agreement, that charge was dismissed. Prosecutors and the defense recommended a 22-year sentence.

According to court documents, in Tables’ psychological evaluation, he said that the day of the shooting, while in traffic, Davis was looking at him, and he ran a red light. Tables said in documents that Davis’ car was cutting him off, and the car’s windows were being rolled down, so he thought Davis was going to shoot.

“I can see his window go down, it was tinted,” Tables said in documents. “It struck me as odd because he’s looking at me. It’s another Black dude, he’s young — instantly that’s going to trigger someone who comes from my environment. Instantly I grabbed my gun and put it a little bit closer.”

According to documents, Tables said he then got next to Davis’ vehicle and shot at the passenger window of the car. Tables said that he didn’t mean to shoot Davis, and he didn’t know he was connected to the shooting until he was arrested for an unrelated charge.

“I didn’t know he got shot,” Tables said in documents. “I’m thinking I shot his car up, let’s not go through that again, drive safer next time.”

According to the psychological evaluation, Tables said that due to his past experience with gun violence, including an incident where his passenger was shot and killed in front of him, he interpreted the behavior of Davis during the incident as threatening. According to the psychological evaluation, the mental health professional believed that if Tables had no past exposure to gun violence, he would not have interpreted Davis’ actions as threatening and would not have responded in the same way.

Davis’ father, Michael Lewis, said Davis’ was a gentle giant with a heart of gold. Lewis said Davis was always there for his family and lived every day to its fullest.

“The tragic death of my son has broken me down in all aspects of life. Mentally, emotionally, and physically,” Lewis said. “I will never be the person I used to be before Dre’s death. No matter what sentence is handed out today, it will never be justice for Andre’s life.”

Details of the crime

Federal Way Safe City Cameras reportedly captured a Chevy Impala pull up alongside a silver Mercedes-Benz sedan driven by 19-year-old Andre Davis, which was stopped at the intersection. The driver of the Impala — later identified as Tables — is allegedly seen reaching across a female in the passenger seat, and firing an AR-style handgun multiple times at the Mercedes-Benz, according to charging documents.

Cameras show Davis’ car accelerating before crashing into two trees and a traffic light utility box, then rolling. The Impala then sped away on Southwest 356th Street, documents stated.

The King County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Davis died from multiple gunshot wounds and ruled his death a homicide. Davis suffered gunshot wounds to his head, chest, upper right shoulder and left leg.

The killing was “unprovoked,” wrote Senior Deputy Prosecutor Donald J. Raz in the charging documents.

The following month, detectives located a Chevy Impala matching the description of the involved vehicle at a Federal Way apartment complex in early August 2021, which was registered to Tables Jr. After searching and seizing the Impala, detectives found two Blackout rifle fired cartridge cases that were consistent with the type of gun used in the homicide, documents state.

When reviewing his Snapchat and social media accounts, detectives found photos of an AR pistol and a magazine similar to that captured in the Safe City camera footage and posted just before and a few days after the killing, documents state. In messages, Tables Jr. allegedly said he was attempting to sell both the Impala and an AR pistol.

“Tables Jr. also states that ‘I got the blackout too. Blackout just a wee bit hot lol.’ Black was the type of fired rifle cartridge cases that were seized by detectives from Tables Jr.’s Impala,” documents state.

In Aug. 2021, Tables Jr. was held at the Washington County Jail in Oregon for unrelated crimes during which he made 18 calls to a cellphone that detectives determined to belong to him, documents state. The recorded phone calls captured his phone calls with a female, who is believed to be his girlfriend, and Tables Jr. allegedly told the female he was “concerned that he was being investigated for the Federal Way homicide.”

Investigation into the second cellphone found it was in close proximity to the homicide scene at the time of the July shooting, documents state.

After the shooting, Tables Jr.’s online search history allegedly shows he searched for 300 Blackout pistol extended and drum magazines both the day before and the day of the shooting. Documents state he also searched for news reports of the shooting over 20 times over the following week, with the first search being less than 20 minutes after the fatal shooting of Davis.

Reporting from a previous Mirror article was used in this story.