Prosecutor: Tacoma police justified in shooting armed man

A Tacoma police officer was justified in fatally shooting an armed man outside a Tacoma home in May, Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist said Friday.

Stephen Cunningham, 48, died May 10 after officer Jimmy Welsh shot him in the chest outside a house in the 3400 block of South Proctor Street.

Prosecutors said Welsh, fearing for his life, had no choice but to shoot when Cunningham pointed a gun at the officer.

The Prosecutor’s Office gave this account of the shooting:

Officers were responding to a noise complaint at the home when they knocked on the front door and waited in front a window for someone to answer.

Welsh and officer Angela Hayes saw Cunningham pick up a handgun so they called it in to dispatchers and moved away from the window.

Moments later, Cunningham came outside holding the gun and refused police orders to drop the weapon. After Cunningham pointed the gun at Welsh, the officer fired at Cunningham several times.

Cunningham was pronounced dead at the scene. His blood-alcohol level was nearly twice the 0.08 legal limit, records show.

“This is another example of the dangers law enforcement officers face,” Lindquist said. “Even a routine call can turn deadly.”

After the shooting Cunningham’s mother told The News Tribune her son had a confrontation with some men earlier that day and probably believed the two officers were those men returning to his home.

This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 12:01 PM with the headline "Prosecutor: Tacoma police justified in shooting armed man."