Police identify Tacoma police officer who fatally shot man in February at downtown hotel
The 27-year-old Tacoma police officer who killed a man in a February shooting downtown was identified by officials on Friday.
The Tacoma officer, Emily Knutsen, has been with the department since 2019, said a press release from the team investigating the incident.
Earlier this month, the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Steve Wohlwend, of Federal Way. He died of a gunshot wound to the torso, and the office ruled his death a homicide.
The Pierce County Force Investigation Team said police were responding to a man with a gun at the Marriott Hotel on Commerce Street downtown on Feb. 24. The man allegedly pointed a gun at a valet and attempted to rob him.
Police arrived around 10:45 p.m. and witnesses confirmed the incident to officers, giving police probable cause to arrest the man later identified as Wohlwend.
With the help of a K9 unit, the search found the robbery suspect on Dock Street near the 11th Street bridge, investigators said. Officers radioed at 11:21 p.m. that they had Wohlwend at gunpoint, but he refused to show his hands. One minute later, police shot him.
Officers administered first aid until the Tacoma Fire Department arrived. Wohlwend was transported to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
No officers were injured in the incident. A handgun was recovered from the scene, investigators said.
The public information officers assigned for the incident, Sgt. Darren Moss of Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, told the newspaper that investigators will be reviewing body camera footage of the shooting to see where Wohlwend’s hands were when police made contact and account for the time during the minute between the call and the shooting.
