Three suspects in custody following quadruple Tumwater shooting

Three suspects are in police custody following a quadruple shooting on Gerth Street Southwest in Tumwater early Wednesday.

The suspects are identified as a 42-year-old man, a 29-year-old man and an unidentified man. They were being treated for gunshot wounds at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia and Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

“Law enforcement will be with them around the clock,” said Sgt. Jen Kolb of Tumwater Police Department.

At the time of the incident, there were four men and one woman inside the home on the 200 block of Gerth Street Southwest, according to police. Four of the people reside at the home and one was visiting. At 2:30 a.m., three armed men entered the home and demanded money from a safe inside the house. An 18-year-old resident was shot once.

One of the men in the house was able to dial 911 and report the shooting, police said. One resident then armed himself and shot at least two suspects, according to police. It is unclear how the third suspect sustained his gunshot wound.

Police arrived on the scene to shots being fired inside the home, Kolb said. Officers began ordering people out of the house. Seven people exited the home, but one remained inside with a gunshot wound. A SWAT team arrived, went inside and retrieved the last person.

The 18-year-old was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital and is in stable condition.

Two suspects were taken to Harborview Medical Center, where one is in critical condition and the other is stable. The third is in stable condition at Providence St. Peter Hospital.

The five victims were identified as two 18-year-old men, a 34-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman, all of Tumwater. There is one additional male victim whose age is unknown.

Four weapons were found on the property, Kolb said.

“In Tumwater, this is the first time there has ever been a quadruple shooting,” Kolb said. “Our little city of Tumwater is changing.”

Julie Torres, a neighbor across the street, said she woke up at 2:30 a.m. to a police car’s lights. She saw an officer arguing with residents who were running out of the house across the street.

“The police officer asked them something, and they began arguing,” Torres said. “I heard two shots and people started screaming and running. I saw a woman run out, she was shaking, screaming to the cops. Then they kept on bringing out people who were shot.”

Torres said the neighborhood has been calm and without violence since she moved there in September.

“This is really incredible to believe,” Torres said.

This story was originally published July 13, 2016 at 6:24 AM with the headline "Three suspects in custody following quadruple Tumwater shooting."