A contractor who interrupted an apparent burglary Wednesday at the North End home where he was working shot the suspected thief during a confrontation, Tacoma police said.
The injured man, 32, was taken to Tacoma General Hospital. He is expected to survive.
The shooting occurred in the driveway of a home in the 4200 block of Alki Street, not far from Corban University School of Ministry, which is located in the old Weyerhaeuser mansion.
The area overlooks Commencement Bay.
The contractor arrived at the home shortly after 11 a.m. and noticed a suspicious vehicle in the driveway, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. The contractor also spotted some items from the house, including a television and weapons, in the driveway.
He called the homeowner to see whether someone was supposed to be at the home. The homeowner told the contractor that no one should be there, Fulghum said. The homeowner then called police.
Meanwhile, the suspected burglar walked out of the home and spotted the contractor’s pickup blocking the driveway. The suspect got into his minivan and rammed the contractor’s truck, Fulghum said.
The contractor pulled out a gun and, during a confrontation, shot the suspected burglar once. The wounded man then ran off.
An officer responding to the area saw a man walking in the 3900 block of North Stevens Street.
“Considering all the circumstances and this guy’s manner of walking, the officer made contact,” Fulghum said.
The man was taken into custody. Paramedics took him to the hospital for treatment.
Investigators and forensic specialists gathered evidence at the house on Alki Street and at the grassy spot on North Stevens Street where the injured suspect was found.
Detectives interviewed the contractor, who has a concealed weapons permit, about the shooting and the events leading up to the confrontation. He later was released. Pierce County prosecutors will decide whether he’ll face charges.
Tacoma police and neighbors say burglaries have been a problem recently in the North End. One neighbor said the burglars have targeted detached garages in alleyways.
In his weekly reports, the police lieutenant who oversees the North End has noted that there have been several burglaries in the neighborhoods near the University of Puget Sound. Patrol officers have been asked to keep an eye on the area.
Investigators were looking into the background of the injured man and whether he could be connected to any other burglaries in the area, Fulghum said.
Stacey Mulick: 253-597-8268
stacey.mulick@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/crime
Staff writer Stacia Glenn contributed to this report.
4th suspected burglar shot this year
Wednesday’s incident on Alki Street was the fourth time a suspected burglar has been shot in Tacoma this year.
• On April 4, Jamarr Johnson, 19, died after he and two others broke into a home in the 3800 block of East J Street. An occupant of the home heard the burglars and fired through a door, killing Johnson.
• On May 23, Anthony Len McDougald, 36, was killed when he and another man broke into a home in the 3800 block of South D Street. The homeowner heard noises, confronted the two intruders inside his detached garage and told police he shot them when they charged him. The other burglar was injured but survived.
• On May 24, a Tacoma police officer shot and injured a suspected burglar after a confrontation outside a South Tacoma home where the man had crashed his car.
Stacey Mulick, staff writer
