'Just a friendly kid': Tacoma mom makes tearful plea after disabled son is killed



TACOMA --  A mother is heartbroken and left with many questions after her mentally disabled son was shot and killed in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood early Tuesday morning.

Kim Nystrom said her son, 26-year-old Steven Speakman, was intellectually disabled and had the mind of a 10-year-old.

“I just want to know who would do this to Steven,” said Nystrom. “I just want to find out who did this to him.”

Several people are now being questioned in connection to the shooting, according to Tacoma Police. Officers found the victim on the sidewalk near MLK Way and South 11th Street.

Nystrom said she was with her son Monday night. Both live in the apartments near the storefront where he was found. She remembered exactly what she said to Steven, not knowing it would be the last time she would see him.

“I went home and told him I`d see him in the morning and he says, 'All right, Mom, love you, see you tomorrow,'” said Nystrom.

In this part of the neighborhood, many of the business owners and employees knew Steven. He would often walk around to the nearby stores and restaurants.

“Everybody around, everybody you talk to, they know Steven, he`s just a friendly kid,” said Nystrom.

Tacoma Police are releasing very little information about the shooting investigation. One business owner told Q13 FOX News he turned over security camera video. As of Tuesday afternoon, police had not made any arrests.