Man accidentally shoots, kills himself in Spanaway, deputies say

A 33-year-old man was killed after accidentally shooting himself with a handgun in Spanaway on Saturday evening, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

The man, whose identity has not yet been confirmed, shot himself about 5:50 p.m. in a transient camp in the 13100 block of A Street South, sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said Sunday afternoon. He was pronounced dead about 6:15 p.m.

According to Troyer:

Deputies originally investigated the man’s death as a homicide, because the man was shot and ammunition was found on the ground. However,no gun was found, and the stories of individuals interviewed at the scene by officers were inconsistent. .

Deputies were able to determine that someone picked up the gun and hid it.

Witnesses, originally uncooperative, eventually told investigators that the man had been dry-firing the weapon and racking rounds in and out of its chamber.

The man, who may have been intoxicated, pointed the firearm at himself and pulled the trigger. A chambered round went off and killed him..

This story was originally published February 12, 2017 at 2:01 PM with the headline "Man accidentally shoots, kills himself in Spanaway, deputies say."