Leonard Brown III used to go to every concert his dad played in Kitsap County.

He'd been going to shows since he was 2 years old. Half the time, he'd end up on stage with a tambourine in his hand.

"He could sing every one of my songs," said his dad, Leonard "Bill" Brown Jr. of Bill Brown and The King Bees.

Leonard Brown especially loved the upbeat blues hit, "Flip, Flop and Fly," by Big Joe Turner.

Flip, flop and fly

I don't care if I die ...

Bill Brown had a hard time deciding whether he should play Tuesday.

His son wouldn't be there.

Five days earlier, the 22-year-old was shot and killed in his downtown Bremerton apartment.

Two men, Roy Kenneth Stillwagon II, 27, and Lucas Alan Johnson, 25, allegedly killed him for drugs and money, Bremerton police said.

From an apartment overlooking the Port Washington Narrows, Leonard Brown and his roommate reportedly sold cocaine.

Late Thursday, according to police, Brown refused to sell Johnson cocaine. He didn't trust Johnson or the men with him and called one a snitch. Johnson was recently arrested on a drug charge.

Johnson and his friends left, but Johnson returned several hours later with Stillwagon, a felon convicted of robbery, assault and burglary.

They arrived at the Washington Avenue apartment between 1:30 and 2:30 a.m. Friday.

Johnson knocked three times.

Brown opened the door then tried to shut it when he saw who was there, but Johnson pushed his way in.

Brown punched him in the face, and as Johnson fell backward Stillwagon fired a .40-caliber gun, according to court documents.

The bullet went through Johnson's arm and hit Brown in the chest. Stillwagon later told an acquaintance it was an accident.

They grabbed cash and drugs and ran, according to court documents.

Only one nearby resident reported hearing a gunshot. Leonard Brown's roommate said he didn't hear what is usually a loud weapon though he and his girlfriend were sleeping in the apartment. He reported finding Brown's body at 7 a.m.

Johnson and Stillwagon were arrested Monday in Bremerton.

They stood briefly in a Kitsap County courthouse Tuesday, and a judge decided they should remain in jail with bail set at $1 million apiece. Stillwagon will be charged this afternoon, and Johnson will be charged Friday.

Bill Brown heard the details of his son's death Tuesday afternoon and didn't go to the courthouse.

The Leonard Brown he knew was a cool, loving kid who called every day.

"If he was doing drugs, I just didn't get it. It doesn't make sense to me," he said.

As an entertainer, he's seen people hopped up on drugs, and neither Leonard nor his friends looked like that.

"Maybe I'm just a loving parent and totally in denial."

He shrugged, closed his eyes for a moment and said, "He was just a beautiful, beautiful kid and it sounds like he made some really dumb choices."

Leonard Brown had been attending Olympic College. He had gone there after Olympic High School.

"He wanted to finish college and become a lawyer," Bill Brown said. "In the last couple years, he applied himself and got pretty much all A's."

Leonard Brown also had toyed with the idea of becoming a pro snow boarder.

Carrying on his father's love for music, he also wrote rap tunes.

He showed up with friends when his dad played several times a year.

Though it was a hard decision, Bill Brown played a pre-scheduled gig Tuesday evening outside Clearwater Casino.

"I've never canceled a gig in my life," he said. Leonard knew that about him.

In the first set, Bill Brown took a breath.

"This next song I'm going to dedicate to my son," he said.

He blew hard on the harmonica, sang and reached the chorus:

... Flip, flop and fly

I don't care if I die

Don't ever leave me

Don't ever say goodbye.