Two women drove from Tacoma Jan. 9 to bail out Richard U. Taii from the Kitsap County Jail in Port Orchard.

After going to a couple of stores they drove through some neighborhoods. They said they were looking for the freeway, but one of the women admitted they did look in one mailbox, court papers say.

Chad Michael Landon Wilson, 39, of Port Orchard was in his living room when an SUV pulled up at a bank of mailboxes outside his house. He decided to confront those in the vehicle because of recent mail thefts, fearing that a $1,500 check he was waiting for could be stolen.

Wilson ran outside in his flip-flops, but they took off. He went back inside, quickly put shoes on, and chased them in his truck. They turned down a cul-de-sac, and he blocked them. They said they tried to drive around him, but he said they came at him at a high rate of speed. He said he feared for his life so he fired a shot into the vehicle, court papers say.

The driver of that vehicle, Taii, 31, was killed by a gunshot wound to the head.

Wilson was in Kitsap County Superior Court Jan. 11 charged with first-degree murder. If convicted, he faces life in prison and/or a $50,000 fine. Bail was set at $1 million.

Taii’s girlfriend, who was in the SUV, along with the other woman, frantically called 911 at about 11 p.m. Neighbors in the cul-de-sac in the 5200 block of Brady Place also dialed 911, saying they heard loud bangs. Video from neighbors shows the entire scene, including a man’s voice saying, “Give me my ….. mail back.” Deputies found a 9mm gun shell, and at least one piece of mail from Chase Road was visible, per court documents.