Thurston County police use new surveillance system to find suspect in May 13 downtown shooting

Martín Bilbao / The Olympian (TNS)

Using a recently installed vehicle surveillance system, Olympia police were able to track down a man accused of firing a stolen gun downtown earlier this year.

Officers used the city’s Flock Safety camera system to locate a vehicle driven by 26-year-old Nicholas Alexandre McCallister after searching for him for months without success.

According to a Facebook post from Olympia police on Wednesday, McCallister was allegedly found in the vehicle on July 30 with a stolen handgun that police believe was used in the shooting.

After his arrest, officers took McCallister to the county jail. He was charged with first-degree assault, first-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a stolen weapon and unlawful discharge of a firearm.

Court records describe him as a suspect in a May 13 shooting that occurred near the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Franklin Street.

McCallister appeared in Thurston County Superior Court for his preliminary hearing on July 31. Judge Sharonda Amamilo found probable cause and set bail at $25,000, believing there was a significant risk that McCallister would commit a violent crime if released without conditions.

The Thurston County District Attorney’s Office charged him with first-degree assault with a firearm, two counts of first-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a stolen firearm.

The two counts of illegal possession of a firearm, according to court records, relate to his carrying a firearm on May 13 and again on July 30 when he was arrested. He was not charged with illegal discharge of a firearm.

According to court records, McCallister has been convicted of more than a dozen crimes since 2015. His criminal history includes multiple convictions for theft and assault in Thurston County and Olympia.

He is due back in court on August 13 at 9 a.m. for his arraignment.

The investigation into the shooting

A probable cause statement describes the law enforcement investigation into the shooting.

Several 911 callers reported hearing gunshots outside a residence on Franklin Street Southeast in downtown Olympia at 7:33 p.m. on May 13.

Some witnesses said they saw a man fire a gun in the parking lot outside The Reef and then run away, the statement said.

Officers arrived at the scene and found no suspects, but contacted several witnesses. One witness reported to police that he saw a man with a handgun wearing a green sweatshirt, blue jeans and a black cap.

The next day, officers conducted further interviews with witnesses and reviewed footage from local surveillance cameras.

A city camera showed two men walking out of the frame and then running back into the frame, one of them holding a gun, the statement said. The video also showed two bullet holes in the wall above the man.

Another witness told police they saw a man with bouffant hair and a ponytail holding a gun. This witness claimed the man with the ponytail fired one shot.

Another passerby reported to police that his co-worker encountered a man who told them he had been shot. The man reportedly added that he returned fire before driving away in an unknown vehicle.

An officer knew McCallister from previous contacts and remembered that he had long, bouffant hair and a ponytail. On May 14, according to testimony, the officer showed a witness a photo lineup of people, and the witness selected two possible people from the lineup.

One of them was McCallister. Although the witness identified another person as the possible shooter, police concluded that it was reasonable to consider McCallister as a suspect and continued to search for him.

That same day, officers received an anonymous call from someone who said the shooter’s name was “Nick,” the statement said, adding that “Nick” was shot first and then returned fire.

Police say they saw McCallister pacing on surveillance footage from a nearby business. He was reportedly with another man, who police later tracked down through social media.

The man later told police he saw McCallister and two other men outside The Reef on May 13. He claimed he saw McCallister and one of the men pointing guns at each other before he heard gunshots.

On July 30, officers found McCallister in a vehicle they believed was associated with him. He allegedly admitted to being outside a downtown bar the night of the May 13 shooting.

McCallister claimed a man approached him and asked for his help in setting a trap for one of his friends, the statement said. McCallister said he then punched the man in the face.

According to McCallister, the other man began fiddling with a bag, at which point McCallister said, “Don’t do that. I’m faster.” The statement says McCallister then ended the conversation with police and asked for a lawyer.

How does the “Flock Safety” camera system work?

The Olympia Police Department began using the Flock Safety camera system earlier this year to help officers locate stolen cars, but it can also be used to search for missing people or others suspected of a crime.

The system works by reading the license plates of vehicles that pass one of the cameras. That information is then stored for 30 days in a database that can be searched by law enforcement, according to Olympia’s Flock Safety Transparency Portal.

According to the portal, the cameras do not recognize faces or create profiles of people. The system is reportedly not allowed to be used for immigration purposes, traffic monitoring, harassment, intimidation or personal use.

The portal also points out that the system may not be used to attack a protected group such as a particular race, gender or religion.

According to the portal, Olympia has 13 cameras. However, the city had previously stated that it wanted to install 16 cameras on the west side near the Capital Mall triangle and some near the Interstate 5 exits on the east side.

The system is part of a two-year pilot program funded by a $100,000 grant from the state Department of Commerce, The Olympian reported in March.

___

(c)2024 The Olympian (Olympia, Washington)

Visit The Olympian (Olympia, Washington) at www.theolympian.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.