Off-duty Federal Way officer shot near downtown Puyallup, investigators close roads near scene

An off-duty Federal Way police officer was shot in the abdomen early Sunday after he tried to stop a burglary in process at an area business, the chief of Puyallup police explained in a news conference.

The male officer, a Puyallup resident, was jogging in the 1100 block of River Road about 7 a.m. when he witnessed two suspects trying to break into a business called Jennings Equipment, Chief Scott Engle said.

Two suspects in separate vehicles fled from the scene, but not before one of the suspects fired at the officer, hitting him. The officer later underwent surgery at an area hospital. His injuries are serious, but he is expected to survive, Engle said.

The suspects were dressed in black and their faces were covered, but police now have descriptions of the vehicles. One is a silver-colored or white 4-door Chevy pickup truck with tinted windows and dark wheels that’s either missing its tailgate or it was down, he said. The other is a black pickup truck.

After the shooting, the Chevy headed east on River Road to north Meridian, then turned south and traveled through the downtown core, he said. The other vehicle headed south on 11th Street Northwest, Engle said.

Engle said police are investigating three crime scenes related to the shooting. The attempted burglary, the area where the Federal Way officer collapsed and an apparent incident in a nearby residential neighborhood prior to the shooting.

Residents apparently witnessed the suspects in the area of Eighth Avenue Northwest and 13th Street Northwest, although details of what happened in the neighborhood were not immediately available.

Engle’s message to the suspects: “We’ll find you.”

The 1100 block of River Road is expected to be closed for most of the day, he added.

Anyone with information or video is asked to call the Puyallup Police Department tip line at 253-770-3343 or send an email to tips@puyallupwa.gov.

This story will be updated.

This story was originally published October 31, 2021 at 9:01 AM.